New Life
by XTheRealHeroX
Summary: Following the arrival of Jesse McCree into Overwatch and what he experiences during his time there. He meets and falls in love with Angela Zeigler but learns the man he looks up to most already has her. But he's not what he seems and soon the gunslinger learns that the organization he had grown to trust was being torn apart by his mentor.
1. Chapter 1

Everything was fancy.

That was the first thought to enter Jesse's head as he was lead down yet another clean white hallway. Large windows to his right showed the beautiful city outside. There were so many colors and each thing was perfect and symmetrical. Dark blue curtains were tied on each side of every window, with little tables under them. To his right was a wall that was lined with picture after picture of the heroic ventures of the organization. Some were in the field, some of people shaking hands. He had no idea who anyone was aside from the man ahead of him.

Gabriel Reyes was walking a few feet in front of him, his pace so quick that the younger man had to quicken his step just to keep up. They'd arrived just a half hour before and finally, he was being taken to be officially inducted into this whole thing. Part of him thought maybe it was all made up and he'd still be going to prison. But the more he saw, the more it became very real. The ease with which Blackwatch had taken the gang down, he really shouldn't be surprised.

At the end of the hall, two large wooden doors stood. Gabe tapped away a code into a keypad next to them and a hiss released into the air. Jesse stood behind him, staring up as they swung open on their own. A rush of sound suddenly filled the silence that had only been broken by their steps. There were voices, clanking sounds and just...tech. That's the only way he could think to describe it. Leaning around, he tried to get a look but Gabe was already on the move, again. Once more, he jumped to stay on his heel.

"Here he is." He said and stopped so suddenly that Jesse nearly ran into his back.

"Just one?" Came an unknown voice.

Pushing his hat up, the young man stepped to Gabe's side. He was prepared to extend a hand and meet this person but it didn't go quite out he thought. Just as he opened his mouth, the Blackwatch commander was speaking.

"Look, that place was filled with a bunch of degenerate little nothings." He growled. "They were piss poor shots, violent thugs. This one has skill and potential. You said to do what I could for them and I did."

The man he was speaking to was of similar height and build. But he was pretty much the opposite in every other regard. He was blond, blue eyed, and screamed 'the perfect soldier'. He also looked damned furious. So much so, Jesse hesitated before clearing his throat and pushing one gloved hand out between them.

"Sir, I'm Jesse McCree. I'm happy to..."

"Save it kid, he's got a stick up his ass." Gabe cut him off.

The blond guy looked like he was about to blow a vessel out of the side of his head.

"I've had about enough of this, Gabriel. You need to check your attitude." He snapped.

This situation was about to get pretty bad and he wasn't sure what his place was. While he might have been a criminal, Jesse liked to think he'd been taught his manners. A fight between two grown men didn't involve anyone else. But he also didn't want to be the center of any tussle breaking out. So, what was he supposed to do? Step in or wait it out? The internal battle he was having was nothing to the shouting match that was starting in front of him. They were chest to chest when he looked back up. He'd been about to step in when someone else beat him to it.

"No! I will not be having this again!"

A woman rushed in, squeezing herself between the two much larger bodies. She pressed her small hands to each of their chests and shoved until they finally backed up. He was pretty impressed considering she looked like a sweet little housewife more than she did a fighter. Blonde hair was tied up at the back of her head, only a little hanging to the side of her face. And what a face it was. She was gorgeous. Big blue eyes and pouty lips...

"I swear to god, I will have Dr. Janis put both of you in medical if you don't stop acting like moronic teenage boys. You are leaders, act like it!" She snapped, her accent heavy with each word. Damn that accent...

The two grown men were glaring at each other over their head before Gabe backed down. His eyes dropped and they woman met his gaze. They stared at one another for just a moment before he turned away and started off down another hallway. The woman let out a sigh and turned her angry sights to the blond. He grumbled something and also walked away. Suddenly Jesse was alone with her and had no idea what to do.

In a rush, he pulled his hat off and held it to his chest.

"Ma'am..." He said, nodding to her. "Jesse McCree at your service."

When he looked back up, she was smiling at him. It sent his heart into a craze. She stepped forward, offering him her hand. Without thinking, he took her hand and brought it up to kiss it. It was just what they did where he came from. She let out a little amused sound, making him realize what he'd done. Instantly, he let go.

"Uh...heh...sorry about that." He said awkwardly. What the hell was this woman doing to him? He'd just met her and they probably didn't do things like that in the city.

"Oh no no." She said, batting her hand through the air once she'd gotten it back. "It was sweet. You see what kind of men I deal with here. I'm Angela Zeigler. I'm an assistant to the head of Medical for Overwatch."

A pretty nurse to the rescue. The city really did have everything.

"It's a pleasure." He said before setting his hat back atop his head.

"So polite." She said and flashed yet another perfect smile his way. "Come along cowboy, we have to get you checked out.

Jesse took one last look around before he took off to follow behind the doctor. The room he'd been in was some sort of lobby, not like the one he'd seen when first entering the building. This one had large screens up on the wall, displaying all parts of the place. People were moving through, rushing around like they were all in a hurry to be somewhere. Blondie was standing in front of the screens, not bothering to look back. The guy came across as kind of a dick.

At the doctor's side, he stared all around. The hall they now entered seemed to go deeper into the building. There were no windows, just offshoots to other areas. Signs were seen here and there that said things like 'OBSERVATION' or 'MEDICAL WING'. That was the direction they were headed in. Gabe had given him the whole run down before they arrived. He'd have a medical examination first. If cleared, he'd move to a briefing by some guy named Reinhardt and then lead to his quarters. Apparently, most of the new recruits stayed in some kind of separate barracks but Gabe wanted him in the home base... he still didn't know exactly why.

"Are you nervous?"

Jesse looked over to the woman, hoping she hadn't been speaking and he just wasn't paying attention. She still had a pleasant look on her face so probably not.

"Nah, I'm fine. Just a little overwhelmed by all this." He said and waved a hand ahead of them. "Never been to a big city before. Nothin' but little towns and all that."

"Then this certainly is a change for you." She mused and stopped in front of a set of double metal doors. Pressing her palm to a pad, the doors slid open with a hiss. Inside, the lights were much brighter and there was a soapy smell to the air. Medical, of course. "This is where I'll be doing your examination. I'll need you to take off all your clothes and put on one of those gowns." She said, pointing to a little room where there was an exam table and a curtain. There were several like it, all in a row.

He swallowed and nodded. No point in arguing, right?

"I'll give you a moment." She said and walked off.

Taking off his hat, Jesse walked into the smaller room and looked around. There was a counter space with many drawers and a sink. It looked like a much nicer version of the clinic he'd once visited after getting shot in a bad job. This place was way cleaner, that was for sure. He set his hat down and started unbuckling his belt. Holster and weapon were set aside, then his bandana, gloves, and the few pieces of armor he'd had on. Little bit by little bit, he was left in pants and his shirt. A pile of dirty and worn belongings remained on the counter space, a stark contrast to the white and steel of the room. His shirt was peeled off, suddenly making him aware of how grimy it was with dirt and sweat. His pants were no different. Once he was finally able to pull on the paper gown, he felt like a real mess. This woman was going to come in and think he was disgusting, if she didn't already.

"Alright, Mr. McCree..." She said as she peeked in. When she saw he was decent, she walked in with a tray in hand. "You don't mind me taking some blood, do you?" She asked, setting her tray on the counter and turning to pull on some gloves.

"No ma'am, not at all. And call me Jesse." He said and watched everything she did.

Not being very experienced with medical attention, he was more nervous now that he was here.

He watched as she pulled out a sterile wipe and moved closer. Her perfectly white gloved hands took his arm and cleaned a patch. Again, he realized how much of a mess he really was. The wipe she used was nearly black after clearing off a little patch on his skin. She didn't seem at all effected though. Maybe this was common for new recruits. Using a rubber strap of some kind, she tied it around his arm. The gunslinger made a face as he felt his arm tingle. As she prepared the needle, her baby blues moved up to look at him. He nodded and swallowed hard as the needle sank in. He watched as she filled not one but four little vials with his blood. Once she was done, she pressed a cotton ball to his arm and instructed him to keep it there.

"It's just standard to check your blood. It helps us with disease control, identification, and things like that." She explained grabbing tap for the cotton ball he was holding. "How about some questions now?"

Again, he nodded.

"Alright Jesse...how old are you? Confirm it for me." She said as she grabbed a file from under the tray and looked down at it.

"17, ma'am." He said and let a coy smile overtake his face. "You don't look like you could be any older than me, doc. Cheating the system with some mystery drugs?" He asked with a laugh.

"I'm 18." She said casually and moved to her next question. "Do you have or know of any illness that run in your family?"

She was only a year older than him?

"No ma'am."

"Any major injuries that you are currently still recovering from?"

Was she a recruit too?

"No ma'am."

"Do you smoke or drink?"

Maybe she was some kind of genius.

"Yes ma'am."

She narrowed her eyes. "Please stop calling me ma'am. Angela is fine."

"Of course, Angela." He said and let out a little laugh. "Back before Deadlock, momma always told me to address a lady with respect."

Her narrowed gaze became a softer one.

"It's alright, it just seems so formal." She smiled at him, which he was happy to return.

They were quiet for a moment before she cleared her throat and looked back down at her file.

"Right...back to it then!"

A series of questions followed, all routine, she'd said. None of them were too bad. She wanted to know about his history of illness and injury. Asked about how much he smoked, what he drank. And if he was sexually active. He had answered yes but left it at that. A gentleman didn't talk about things like that with a lady present. She was looking for medical information, not details. Once the questions were done, she'd stood up and started checking various things on him. His pulse, lungs, blood pressure. Jesse had sat still the entire time, letting her move his arms or straighten him up when it was needed. She checked his teeth, throat, eyes, ears, the lot of it. The woman was thorough. And all the while, he stared up or away. Sure, he knew how to behave but it didn't mean his mind wasn't going to pick up all those sweet little details about her. Not just her appearance but the way she was so careful and courteous. Always saying please and thank you. When it finally seemed she was done, Angela handed him a dark blue bag with the Overwatch logo on it.

"This is some clean clothes, toiletries, and other things you might need. Go ahead and get dressed. Reinhardt will be waiting down the hall to the right. And Jesse, if you need anything at all, I'm always here." She said, placing her hand on his. They shared a smile before she turned and left him alone once again to get dressed.

Momma would have loved her.


	2. Chapter 2

"...CAN YOU IMAGE IT? THOUSANDS OF THEM COMING UP OVER THE HILL WITH THEIR WEAPONS READY. WE WERE ALL THAT STOOD BETWEEN THEM AND THE PEOPLE. IT WAS A GLORIOUS BATTLE. I WILL NEVER FORGET THE TIME..."

Jesse stood in the middle of the hall, staring up at the house of a man in front of him. His hat tipped back far on his head so he could see. The bag Angela had given him was hanging by his side in loose fingers. He'd only made it ten paces out the door when he'd found the man he'd been sent to, the one they called Reinhardt. He was massive and had a booming voice to match. Jesse had barely introduced himself when the other started in on his life history...and there they had been for the last twenty...thirty minutes.

"...AND MORRISON COMES UP TO ME, HA HA! THE BOY NEVER KNEW WHAT HIT HIM, LET ME TELL YOU!"

"Sir...?"

"YES MY BOY, YES?" He said, placing his hands on his hips and leaning down to stare at the teenager.

"...I think you were supposed to brief me or point me somewhere." He suggested, hoping to get things back on track.

"OH!" He belted, clearing his throat right after. "Yes, apologies my friend." He added in a slightly less terrifying voice. "You're going to be reporting to Blackwatch. Reyes asked for you personally to be on his team. But don't worry, you won't be alone, new recruit. There are plenty of others for Reyes to grind up." He laughed and slapped Jesse on the back, nearly making the young man stumble to the ground. "Go on, my boy. We'll talk soon. I have a date to get to." The large man bounced his brow before winking and heading off.

Jesse stood there for a moment, regaining his composure before starting down the hall again. The guy was a little overwhelming but he seemed nice enough. So at least there was that. But now he knew he was going to be working with Gabe. The thought was a little intimidating but also kind of exciting. He'd seen what Blackwatch could do first hand. He'd managed to take a few of them down, which oddly gave him a feeling of guilt now. But still, Reyes had made him look like a punk. And with nothing but a pair of close range shot guns too... damn.

Following signs, he found his way to the Recruits Quarters. Another long hall to a room with no windows. The walls were lined with slots that sunk in. Each one was filled with a bed, two drawers built in underneath. It looked like some kind of honeycomb of bunks. They each had a frosted glass door that pulled shut to give them privacy. Several were already taken, made obvious by personal belongings. There were pictures, trinkets, and clothing in them. As he walked by, he took his time to check out each one. He realized that there didn't seem to be anything that made him think of Angela. Maybe she wasn't a recruit after all but someone already a full member of Overwatch. That thought was a little disappointing.

When he found an unclaimed bed, he dropped the bag and sat down on the cot. It was decent, probably better than the back seat of that truck he'd been sleeping in for the last few days. There were no pictures or belongings to personalize his space. He'd left everything behind when he decided to follow Reyes. Hell, it wasn't like he had anything to behind with. He'd lived job to job, trying to keep the gang happy and survive. That didn't leave a lot of room for fun and collecting things.

The bag was still sitting at his feet, zipping up and hiding the clothes within. He stared down at it for a moment. What he had on him and what was in that bag was it. That was all he had. But there wouldn't be any photos and gifts inside. Nothing to pin the wall or say goodnight to. After all these years alone, why did that suddenly bother him? Jesse had friends, no body he'd call a brother but still. They were all dead now. Their crimes had caught up to them. He'd been spared but it still sort of felt like he was being punished.

Reinhardt's echoing voice reached him. It was all laughter, which made a small smile appear. He needed to be positive. This was a fresh start. At least, that's what Gabe had said on the ride back to this place. He told Jesse to put everything behind him and only focus on going forward. The crimes he committed could be forgiven and everything that was known could stay between them. He'd never have gotten a better deal anywhere else. Overwatch was going to save him. That's what he needed to tell himself. Dropping his hat and boots by the bag, the self-proclaimed cowboy closed his eyes and tried to relax. Tomorrow he'd give this some honest to goodness hard work.

"Jesse!"

The voice was familiar and left him with a bright smile as he turned around. Through the half empty mess hall, the little doctor's assistant ran to him. She wasn't done up in her little dress and lab coat today. No, she looked field ready. Tight black attire hugged her body, complete with minimal armor and a chest guard. On her arm was the same symbol he'd seen on Gabe's uniform. This little thing was in Blackwatch?

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" She asked, all sunshine and light.

"Well good mornin'. I sure did. Something beautiful kept my dreams happy." He said and picked up what appeared to be a bagel from the lineup of food on the counter. Grabbing some jam, he gestured to it all. "Hungry?"

"Oh no, I've already eaten. I just thought I'd check in on you before we head over to the B-Wing."

After grabbing something to drink, the pair walked over to a lonely table and took a seat. She sat across from him, hands moving up to smooth out her already perfect pony tail. Again, he was surprised. She was a medical assistant. What was she doing on Gabe's team? The thought of her being a recruit returned to his mind. She was his age, after all. It would make sense. Medics needed combat experience too, right? It was probably just to keep her safe in the field.

"You're Blackwatch?" He asked, curiosity betting the better of him.

Angela's face tinted slightly red as she nodded.

"Well yes. I was going to be a doctor for Overwatch, but Gabriel insisted I learn to defend myself so that I could be of more use in the field. He said he had no time to baby sit medics..." Her words had started out peppy but by the end of the sentence, she seemed embarrassed.

"Gabe strikes me as the kinda man that doesn't really want support." He mused as he layered the jam onto the bread. The guy was kinda gungho.

"He doesn't want people to get hurt in the first place. But if they do, he needs to be able to count on me to get in there and assist. If I can't handle myself, I'll be no good to any of them."

That time her tone was a little more serious. She was making sense though. In the gang, they didn't have medics or support. If you got shot, you either dug that bullet out yourself or you found a town with someone who could do it for you. What a difference it might have made for him if he'd had someone like her around. Maybe he wouldn't have so many scars across his body. Or at least, they might not be so bad.

"Does this mean we'll be training together?" He asked, trying to lighten her mood a little. The blonde smiled back at him, those big eyes filled with humor.

"Yes, I believe it does."


	3. Chapter 3

Four hours had passed and they were still going. There were six of them altogether. Jesse gathered that they were all pretty entitled. Maybe it was just his country boy attitude but that was the impression he got. They all seemed to think they more than deserved to be there and that each of them individually was the best. He'd watched as Gabe threw them all through test after test. One by one, the proud punks started to falter. They couldn't run fast enough, push hard enough. Their commander was relentless and didn't care who they were. He treated them all the same.

Well, almost.

He was harder on Angela. Over and again, she was screamed at and broken down. When she messed up, he made sure everyone knew it. Her blue eyes shined with unshed tears as she picked herself back up and kept going. Jesse wanted to step in and help her but he knew that being the white knight wasn't right here. She was training like the rest of them and probably had the hardest job. In a battle situation, she could be all that stood between them and death. She needed to be ready. That had to be why Gabe was pushing her to her limit on every single thing they worked on.

Still, it was hard to watch. Even though he'd run guns and things along those lines, he'd never been one to harm a lady. He was all for equality and wanted to see Angela succeed, the desire to help was there. More than once, he'd wanted to stop in but managed to stop himself. She was a tough girl...woman. She could handle herself. As he finished running the last of many laps, Jesse leaned against the wall. He really ought to stop thinking of that little doctor so much. She was distracting him.

"That's it, dogs. Get out of here." Gabe said, standing at the head of a room. His hood was drawn up, hands tapped up still from their previous test...which had been boxing him.

He'd managed to get in a few hits but the guy had moves. In his youth, he'd learned to fight. It was something they all had to do. If you weren't able to defend yourself, you got your rear end kicked bad or ended up dead. He could hold his own out there. Gabe didn't fight like those guys though. He was military trained and didn't hold back. A few of them were running laps with black eyes or broken noses. But he knew better. Don't get cocky. Every punch thrown, he'd tried to dodge or block. The other guys went in heavy, wanting to show up their new boss in some sort of manly display of badassery. There was more to being a man than hitting the hardest. And boy, had Gabe known them that.

Still laughing at that thought, he made his way to the locker rooms. This wouldn't be so bad if he got to watch that kinda show every now and then. The little guy getting picked on was one thing. But when it was the jerks, it was pretty funny. However, you never laughed out loud at it. He'd done so once today and Gabe had cast him a dangerous glare. The last thing he wanted was to be on the bad end of that man's attitude. More than once, he'd seen it. And there sure as hell was no desire to ever have it directed his way. So the laughter would have to remain inside or saved for later.

"Finish your laps?"

Jesse looked up, surprised to hear a female voice ahead of them. As he stepped around one of the rows of lockers, he froze before turning to look away. Angela was there, peeling her pants down her legs. Her shirt was already off, leaving her in a black sports bra. From the few seconds he'd gotten, he saw an expanse of creamy skin, soaked in sweat. It was such a contrast to the dark undergarments she was wearing. Heat rushed into his face but he kept his eyes away and cleared his throat. If he didn't make it into a big deal, it wouldn't be.

"You knew it was me?" He asked as casually as he possibly could.

"You favor your right side when you walk. I noticed it when we met. It gives you a distinct step." She said, sitting down to remove her pants entirely. He could see it from the corner of his eye. "Are you alright?"

"I took a shot to the hip when I was about twelve. It healed but I guess not perfect." He laughed and eased over behind her to get to the locker where his things were stashed.

"I meant now." She returned with a laugh of her own. "You're acting like a little boy who walked into the wrong bathroom." She teased.

Damnit, she'd noticed.

"Just tryin' to be respectful, ma'am. You're a fine woman and I wouldn't want to stare."

"If we're going to be on the same team, you might want to get used to this."

Taking in a deep breath, he turned his head enough to glance over his shoulder at her. Angela was still facing away from him. She'd let her hair down and was running a brush through it. Her blonde hair fell around her shoulders, curling in slightly. It made him think of those sweet little housewives on the covers of the magazines laying around the old 66 gas station. From her hair, he followed the curve of her back, arching forward some as she reached back to continue brushing. She was smaller than he thought but filled out in all the right places. Her hips flared out, hourglassing down into long legs. The longer he looked, the more he realized just how perfect she was. A sweet, smart, attractive woman, if there ever was one. Maybe...

"Hit the showers, kid."

He jumped and turned fully to see Gabe standing at the end of the row. He had shed the hoodie, leaving him in a black muscle shirt. The guy was built, which scars across his body not unlike Jesse's. The younger man nodded and gathered up his things. He wasted no time shutting the locker and brushing past the other man. On his way towards the showers, he paused and glanced back. Immediately, he wished he hadn't. Gabe he moved forward and instead of stopping to change or something like that, he'd gone straight to the woman standing there. His stomach churned as the other pushed her up against the lockers and pressed his lips to her neck. Angela let out a soft little laugh and tilted her head so she give him a proper kiss. They were saying something to one another in hushed voices. And his heart dropped right into his stomach.

Well damn.


	4. Chapter 4

The smart thing to do when you find out you have a thing for the boss's girlfriend is to cut it right there. Nip those feelings as a bud and move on. There were plenty of pretty, friendly girls in Overwatch. They had started popping up all of a sudden and seemed very interested in his 'cowboy' lifestyle. It was sorta embarrassing but also flattering. All the attention should have made it easy for him to not think about Angela. Unfortunately that was not the case. Even when he stared into the eyes of that sweet pyro technician who'd come to sit with him, Jesse was only seeing those perfect baby blues of the Blackwatch medic. And really, it was eating him alive.

Though he had a criminal past, Jesse liked to think of himself as a decent young man. He'd dated a few girls here and there but they were nothing like Angela or any of the others here. They were rough around the edges, no back talk, bad girls. Even so, he'd respected them. And he'd certainly never moved in on another man's lady. That was the lowest of the low. A gun runner had to draw certain lines, just like everyone else. Yet he couldn't stop himself from thinking about her when she wasn't there and occasionally flirting when she was. What made it worse was that it seemed like she was entirely oblivious to what he imagined were the doe eyes he always made at her. If she could tell, she might have pushed him away or stopped the gentle of heart stopping hugs she gave him every time they met up.

With all these thoughts on his mind, Jesse didn't hear someone approach him from the side. He'd been standing outside, a cigar in his mouth. The sun was just setting and the sky was a velvety shade of purple. His dark eyes were staring up at the lack of stars. The city lights ruined that scene. But it kept him involved enough to miss the other person until a rock hit him in the side of the head. The recruit blinked once or twice before looking around, sure a bug or something had flown into him. Then it happened again. The rock bounced off his head and landed near his feet. Following the direction it had come from, he found himself facing a child...well maybe not entirely a child. But a much younger person.

The girl was grinning a little, standing half behind a well tended bush. Her black hair framed her small, tan face. Darker eyes than his own shined in the night, like maybe she'd been crying. The only thing that really stood out about her were the golden bands that tied up some of her hair around her face. they looked like they normally would have kept the hair back but they were messy at best. He'd seen native american's back home where something similar. What was a kid doing here, though? She certainly didn't look old enough to be in the organization and she wasn't wearing anything to say it. From behind the bush, he could just make out a cotton dress and matching flats.

"You tossin' rocks at me, kid?" He asked, leaning down to pick up the pebble that had struck him last. "You outta know, I'm an ace shot. I never miss." He added, a smile spreading over his face.

"I didn't miss." The girl said in a confident voice.

It made Jesse chuckle, tossing the stone up and down in one hand.

"I guess that's true. But I'm a pretty easy target. You ever try throwin' these things at bottles or somethin'?"

She shook her head, the gold bands slipping lower in her hair.

"Good hand eye coordination is key to success." He informed her, taking his cigar from his mouth and snubbing it out on the wall beside him. The rest of it was tucked into his hat.

"What are you doin' here kid? Get lost?"

Again, she shook her head.

"My mother helped found this place." She said proudly, pointing the building. "I live here now." The last words seemed uncertain.

"Oh...who's your momma?"

"Ana Amari!"

Instantly his smile faltered. He'd met Amari only once but it had been plenty enough to leave an impression. The older woman had slapped him hard on the back, almost as hard as Reinhardt. She laughed and started making bets with Commander Morrison about how long he'd last. Her bet had been that he wouldn't finish training with Gabe before running off back to his criminal ways. But there was had been a twinkle in her eye that made him think she really didn't mean her words. Or at least, he hoped not. She was loud, proud, and acted more like one of the guys than a proper lady. Not that he minded at all. Her make up, long hair, and tight clothing just gave a different impression. He shouldn't judge based on appearance but sometimes it was hard to get past it at first. More than once, he'd swear she and Reinhardt were related. They acted very similar, like maybe they just spent too much time together. They were both founders if he remembered right...but he wasn't sure.

"Well that's...that's good. Do ya like it here?" He asked, clearing his throat to recover from his moment of lapse.

The girl frowned and huffed.

"Your hat is stupid!" She shouted and took off running back around the corner.

That was probably a no, then.

...and his hat was not stupid.

"Have you ever met Amari's kid?"

Jesse strapped on his tactical vest, making sure it wasn't too tight. a few lockers down, the Blackwatch explosives recruit and resident pyromaniac was also dressing. She paused and gave him a strange look. For a moment, he started to question himself, like maybe that girl was just messing with him and Ana didn't even have a kid. But before his mind could run too far, Tera spoke again.

"Pharah? Yeah I've seen her around. I heard she's kind of a brat." She said and shrugged. "Why? Did she throw stuff at you."

"Does she do that to everyone?"

"Pretty much. Most people tell and chase her off. Seems sad to me. There are no other kids here."

He was quiet as he recalled the previous night's encounter with the child. Something was bothering her. Could it have been loneliness? Seemed possible now. No other kids were here and she probably didn't wanna hang around a bunch of older people all the time. There hadn't been a lot of kids around when he was small either. Hell the closest boy had lived a town over. It hadn't made him a brat that he knew of but situations were always different. There was no way of knowing what this kid dealt with everyday.

"You okay?"

He smiled and nodded.

"Peachy. Just thinkin' how lonely that lid must be. Can't be much fun." He replied.

Tera shook her head.

"You're the softest cowboy I've ever seen."

"Seen a lot of us?"

"My father loved westerns." She teased and shut her locker. "Come on, before big bad Gabe gets mad."

The rest of the day, he couldn't stop thinking about Pharah. People ran her off when she was probably just looking for attention. He'd certainly never seen Ana with her. Who even took care of her? It was hard to imagine some sort of Overwatch day care for just one kid. Who would even run that?

If she wasn't in his imaginary day care then where was She? She'd said she lived here now...so maybe in private quarters? He'd only seen her one time so far but that didn't mean much. Overwatch was huge. The headquarters was larger than any place he'd ever been. Who knew how many rooms and wings it had. She could be anywhere.


	5. 5

Concerns about the kid had to take a back burner as training started. It wasn't the usually laps and push ups today. Gabe had them meet him in the hanger instead of the Blackwatch wing. When Jesse arrived, the older man was standing next to a large aircraft, arms folded over his chest. Other recruits were filing in as well. Making his way towards Angela, he leaned down a little to speak quietly to her.

"What's going on?"

The blonde took a breath and shook her head. It was then that he noticed She had a large black case sitting at her feet. It was hard plastic, with the Overwatch insignia engraved into the front. She seemed nervous, almost afraid. Frowning, he looked around. Everyone seemed curious but not worried at all. Something had spooked the woman next to him.

"Hey honey, what's got ya down?" He whispered to her, eyes searching her face for reaction. Anything at might help him figure out what was going on.

After a moment, her gaze moved down to stare at the case. Or maybe just away from his eyes, he wasn't sure.

"We're going out in the field." She whispered in a voice so quiet, he could barely make out the words as they left her lips. "There was an attack nearby. Some sort of terrorist organization, I'm not sure. But all Overwatch agents are occupied. We're all there is right now. I...I didn't think we'd be out so soon. I haven't even had time to perfect it..."

"It?"

Before he could ask further, Gabe started speaking.

"Listen up, kids." He barked, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. "An hour ago, troops from an unknown organization moved on a small city just miles from here. They haven't identified themselves or made any statements. All we know is that they struck without warning and are still inside the limits of the west district. Because all operatives are on assignment, we are all that Overwatch has to offer at this time. Our job is to move in, assess the situation and contain until backup arrives. Reports from authorities has told us that there are still civilians inside. They'd evacuated the rest of the districts but can't make any ground towards the center of the attack. If possible, we need to get people out."

When he was done, a recruit that Jesse couldn't see spoke up.

"Are we going in for full combat?" He asked, causing murmurs of agreed concern among the others.

"If we have to." Gabe answered simply first, then moved to clarify. "We assess first. If possible, I want you to avoid engaging. These are unknown enemies, possibly using mech suits or bots. Since we don't know what we're up again, I won't send you guys in to bring them down. Only fight if you have to or if I give the order. And I'll only be doing that if I think you can handle it. Got it? No heroes." His last words were issued with a bite behind him.

Jesse knew why. A lot of these recruits were eager to prove themselves. They wanted to show that they were ready for the next level. And some were just plain cocky. Even though Gabe didn't tolerate it, it was hard to crush that out of a person. The need to prove oneself was in everyone but some of these people...well he was pretty sure they'd die young. Hell, with his attitude, he was surprised he'd made it this far. The short time he'd spent in Overwatch helped but sometimes it was there. Like his want to help Angela. You had to fight it back when you knew it wasn't the right path to take. Could they do that once they were out there in the thick of real action? He'd been up against a lot of foes but never anything like this. A terrorist organization was a little above the gang's pay grade.

"I want you all suited up with your weapons and gear in ten. Get moving." He snapped and there was a rush of movement.

Angela picked up her apparently heavy case and started towards the lockers. He walked along with her. There weapons were kept in a safe room off the main training facility. While inside, they never used personal weapons. Everything was issued by Gabe and had safetly locks and protocols. There was an air of excitement as they moved to get dressed. Several of them rushed fast enough to get out fast and get their gear first. Jesse slowed himself down out of curiousity in regards to Angela's case as well as not wanting her to be the only one left behind.

Once she had on her normal uniform, she set the case on a bench and stated unlatching it. He wasn't sure what he expected but it wasn't what he saw. Inside the case there were what looked like metal wings all folded up. They looked like part of a skeleton, really. There was a a vest in the top part of the vest, dark and covered in straps. Jesse had never seen anything like them before. Was she planning on putting them on? There was no way they could fly. There couldn't be enough thrust to get her off the ground, even with her being so small in size.

"What are they?" He finally asked as she lifted them out.

"These are part of my Valkyrie suit..." She mumbled as she slipped on the vest.

"You don't sound happy about it."

"It's still experimental. I've only trailed with it a few times on level ground. It's supposed to allow me to reach people at distances or greater heights. I just...I can do this." She said, her accent hitting hard this time, as thought she might just start speaking in German. He'd heard it before when she was upset or frustrated.

She locked the vest into place before picking up the wings. There was a moment of panic before her eyes locked on his.

"Would you...?"

"Oh...Oh yeah." He said and stepped forward. The wings were much lighter than he thought as he took them from her. Where they met, there was a plate with pieces jutting out. Angela then turned around and tilted her head forward so her hair was out of the way. On her back, the vest had slots where he could clearly insert the wings. "Okay..." he mumbled before he carefully lowered them in. There was an audible sound like a click when they locked. "I think I got it." He said and let go slowly. The wings remained right in place.

Angela leaned down and grabbed something from the case. Under the wings, there had been another slot hidden. She picked up the unknown device and suddenly it extended, forming a long mechanical staff of some kind. He watched as she ran her thumb over part of it and suddenly her wings extended. More metal unsheathed from them, making the bone like forms longer. That wasn't all though. Light emitted from underneath. It glowed like a solid form. The blonde turned and looked at him before she shut them down. The wings folded at her back, the staff returning to its small size. She seemed embarrassed, probably because he was just staring open mouthed at her. Jesse quickly shut his mouth and looked away.

"We should get our weapons." She said in a sheepish tone before shutting the case and walking past him.

The cowboy nodded and followed her lead out of the locker room.

Once they'd collected their weapons, they returned to the hanger just in time. The weight of his peacekeeper on his hip was a familiar feeling that he was glad to have. He'd been using a standard pistol and it just didn't feel right. They were light plastic weapons. Sure the damage was alright but the heavy kick made him feel at home. His revolver was all metal, older than he was. It had been passed down from a man he barely remembered and locking it away still bothered him. However, they kept it safe and he couldn't complain.

Gabe was still standing by the carrier, staring at them all one by one. He might have been making sure they were ready or maybe he was picking the ones that were most likely to fail in the field. Confidence only went so far when real enemies were baring down on you. The gunman took a deep breath and when it seemed Gabe was satisfied and began to speak, he listened.

"You get in and lock in. Secure your weapons and gear. I'll tell you when to disengage." And that was it.

The Blackwatch leader turned and headed in. One by one, they followed. there were rows of hard seats, each with latches to keep them locked in. Were they expecting a rough flight? The other Overwatch aerial vehicles were much more relaxed. This thing seemed built to get beat on. Knowing the Blackwatch commander, he probably just preferred it over the others.

Jesse sat down and got himself strapped in. His weapon was smaller, able to remain against his side. Larger gear was put away on locks above their seats. Angela sat at the head of the ship, by Gabe. That space was a little more accommodating to her wings. His gaze shifted away, not wanting to get caught lingering on her.

"Everyone strapped in?" Gabe boomed ovr the sudden rise of the engines. "Good, we're moving out."


	6. Chapter 6

The air ship rumbled, shaking them all as it shuttered across the sky. Jesse felt like his bones might vibrate right out of his body. As he looked around, he could see grim expressions on all their faces. The cocky ones were now looking a little more sober as they stared down at the floor or kept their eyes shut tight. It was one thing to boast in the safe hanger over the Overwatch headquarters and something else entirely to be out here, about to face an unknown enemy. He let out a breath and shut his own eyes, head leaning back against the metal behind him. At least they were starting to act how they should instead of like hyper children.

"Setting down!" Came a shout from the front.

Jesse grabbed the straps that held him in and waited. They'd done a few runs over how things like this worked but only to familiarize them with procedure. Would it all go by the books once this massive hung of junk landed? Again, he looked over in Angela's direction. The blonde was sitting still, her fingers clasped in front of her as if praying. She really looked like an angel when she sat like that. If there were injured people down there, she was going to have her hands full. Initial reports probably wouldn't hold up now. Situations like this had a way of escalating pretty fast. They had to be ready for just about anything.

The sound of the engines shifted as the ship started to lower straight down. Metal squealed and groaned as it touched down. The force of the landing was easy, really. But it still shook them all. Gabe walked between them, straight down the middle. He stared at the back hanger door with his hand against his ear. He must have been listening to the com-link between himself and others. What was going on? Slowly, the older man turned around and eyed them all one by one. His gaze stopped on Angela and held there for just a moment before he spoke to them all.

"We're moving out. Stay with me. First action is to make contact with local authorities and get whatever information we can on the enemy. We'll proceed from there." He stated, looking them over again. Pointing to a larger recruit who normally used a large rifle, he spoke again. "Take the rear, watch our backs." He stated, receiving a stony nod from the younger male. "Jesse on my right." Came his next words, snapping the cowboy to attention. He nodded as well, feeling weight settle onto his shoulders, grounding him for whatever was out there. "I want Ziegler in the middle. She's our medic and the only thing that keeps a mission alive in the field. We keep her on her feet so she can return the favor, got it?" It was pretty easy to demand the entire team protect your girlfriend when she was the only doctor.

As the back hatch hissed and started to open, Jesse unlatched himself and stood up. Not waiting for anyone else to move, he took to Gabe's side. Fingers brushed over the handle of his weapon. Normally, he'd leave it on his side but since he wasn't sure what they were about to walk into, that seemed like a bad plan. The revolver was pulled from its holster and gripped tight. Gabe did the same, retrieving on of his shot guns to hold with both hands. He braced the large weapon's barrel from beneath and started out. Jesse didn't hesitate, keeping right to his side as sunlight engulfed them. For just a few seconds, he was blinded. Little by little his vision cleared.

They were in a nice little city. It looked like it was usually a pretty bustling. Shops rested along both sides of the road, all nice with signs outside to promote their business. Flowers and plants hung from light poles and windows. What set things into a more sinister way was the lack of people. There were none. Shopping bags and belongings were left along the sidewalks, spilled out and abandoned. The folks that had been here had left in a hurry, no longer worried about their possessions. Something had scared them bad enough to send them running while this nice place remained behind and empty. What could it be?

As they walked through a cross street, voices started to reach his ears. Tilting his hat up just a little, he followed Gabe's line of sight and found where they were coming from. On the next road over, a barricade had been set up several yards down. Closer to them, there were large police response vehicles. Officers were there, most of them holding mid-sized machine guns. There were men with riot shields and body armor as well as snipers up high on the roof tops. He took it all in but even with all this firepower, no enemies could be seen. Had the barricade been enough to push them back or were they still waiting for something to come forward. Hadn't Gabe said they were facing an unknown enemy?

"Who's in charge here?" Their leader barked out. Jesse and the rest of them stopped walking, waiting.

A man stepped forward, looking worn out and run down.

"That would be me. Chief Lawrey. You're with Overwatch?" He asked, extending a hand. Gabe took it without hesitation.

"We're Overwatch's covert ops. What's the situation?"

"We've got bots. No human involvement that we can tell. It's some kind of pro-omnic movement or something. Terrorists if you ask me." He huffed and scratched at his graying beard. "Every report says they have some heavy firepower bots holding down the outside of a store in the West district. Some walkers started firing at humans but no one was hurt by the gunfire. A few falls while running, that's all we've got for medical. I don't know what they want but they are spreading farther out. They'll reach us soon enough." He explained.

"They haven't made any demands?" Gabe asked, his eyes narrowing some.

"Nothing. They are just taking more and more of the city. We're going to have to stop them but my boys don't have the firepower to handle the Bastion Units. Those things will chew us up. The walkers aren't too bad but there are some new ones...bots I've never seen. They have these little fellas that cut through steel like butter. Son, I have never witnessed anything like it."

The recruits looked at each other in stony silence. This was a bot attack? He'd heard about malfunctions and small incidents but a full movement? It had been boiling over for a while. People didn't trust artificial intelligence very much. Some folks thought omnics were nothing more than machines for use. They didn't see the intelligence in them as anything more than inconvenient. Sure, it was a strange thing to get used to but wasn't life just life, no matter what shape it came in? There had been an omnic working at a gas station near where he'd lived. The thing had once been able to speak but ruffians had caught the thing after dark and beat it pretty bad. Its jaw was broken clean off and what he assumed was the voice box had been ripped out. How an expressionless machine could look so sad, he didn't know. But it bothered him. That thing was so helpful and upbeat before that.

"Sir?" Jesse asked, stepping out. "The people inside?"

Gabe nodded and turned back to the Chief.

"Our intel said there were still people inside the zone."

"Yes there are. Hostages as far as we know. A whole city bus had been trapped inside and witnesses say they saw walkers marching people off, back towards that shop base they set up."

Slowly, Gabe turned back around to face his recruits. He crossed his arms over his chest, seeming to take time to think things over. If there were people being held by those bots, it changed the situation. It was one thing to escort people out of the hot zone, it was another to rescue them from hostile forces. His trigger finger itched as he imagined those people being locked away by the omnics. They were innocent bystanders just trying to get along with their day. Now they were trapped in the middle of what amounted to a race war. They couldn't leave them behind. And clearly his leader agreed.

"We're going in. I want the same formation we're in now. Diza, go up top and take the roof tops. You're going to be my eyes alright?" He said, looking at the one person among them who held what appeared to be a proper rifle. She adjusted her reflective goggles before nodding. "We'll progress forward slowly until we get to the shop. Then we'll assess our next steps. Our top priority is the safety of the civilians. If we can't get them out, we back down. I won't let people die today. Jesse, on my right."

He nodded, glancing down the road. This was going to happen.

"Point me in the right direction, Chief." Gabe snapped, pulling both his shot guns out now. "Let's move."


	7. Chapter 7

The city was too quiet. Without the hustle and bustle of busy people, it felt like one of the many abandoned towns Jesse had passed through as a kid. The team moved through ally ways and shops, trying to stay out of sight as best they were able. Over their heads, Diza crossed the roof tops. She kept them informed of what lay ahead. So far, it was clear. The bots appeared to be staying fairly close to the core of the district. No patrols had been seen yet but that only made him more nervous. At least seeing something, they'd know they were there. This felt too much like the city really was empty. Where he felt uneasy, Gabriel acted like he was ready for a fight.

The two men were about to pass into the next building when the older man put his arm out. Jesse stopped and looked over. Gabe was staring forward, seemingly at nothing at all. Diza must have been speaking through the com. Was something developing outside of their range of vision. His grip on his gun tightened and the gunman turned around. He observed the rest of the team crouched not far behind them. Angela was kneeling down, his fingers curled tightly around her small pistol. Her blue eyes were wide, looking straight down at the floor. She looked terrified. He swallowed hard and turned back towards their leader. This wasn't the time to go babying anyone. He had to remember that she signed up for this just like he had.

"We've got movement." Gabe said, still looking away. "We're just a few buildings off from the shop the Chief mentioned. Diza reports two active patrols on the street, two on the roof."

"Do we need to take 'em out?" Jesse asked, glancing outside but seeing nothing yet. "No silencers here, boss. If we fire, they'll know we're lurkin'."

The leader shook his head.

"We need to get eyes on the hostages first. There's a chance we'll lose them if we go in hard." He paused, thinking for a moment. "Diza, stay low, do not engage. Report any changes." He said, touching his ear. Then he turned around to face them all. "We're going to break into two teams. Pyro, Bolton, and Copper with me. McCree, take Opal and Angela. I want you three to cover us as we move forward. Stay back unless you're needed."

He anted to argue, to say he could handle being up front but he kept his mouth shut. Gabe was trusting him to keep an eye on Angela and their younger teammate, Opal. It meant Gabe had at least enough faith in him to put their lives in his hands. So he nodded in confirmation and watched as one by one, the first team headed out. Opal moved forward and placed her back against the wall. Her vibrant golden eyes watched their leader vanish from sight before she looked to him. Jesse gave a quick nod to both of them before he slipped out the door.

They didn't move until the other team escaped their sight. It was a slow process but the tension was powerful. He felt like every step was going to reveal them to the enemy. Each sound made by their careful footsteps could alert the bots and they'd be fired upon. In Deadlock, he'd been responsible for only his own life. Now these girls were counting on him. Tipping his hat back, he kept his eyes sharp, praying he didn't let some stupid mistake put all of this at risk.

Eventually he halted their movements. Up ahead, he could make out Bolton at a fork in the ally. He was far off but stationary. Something had stopped them from progressing. Holding his hand out, Jesse gestured for the other's to sit tight. His gaze was focused down the road. When he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, it made him jump some. Spinning his head back, he was relieved to see Angela looking back at him. A soft smile came over her lips as she shifted closer. He could see the slight trembling in the hand that held her gun. She was scared but trying to calm him. The true mark of a good doctor. He returned the smile.

"Holding up okay, doc?" He asked.

"I'm fine. Just worried. I hope those people are going to be alright." She whispered back.

"Do you think they bots would kill them?" Opal asked, drawing a stony silence between them all.

"They haven't killed anyone yet, right? Let's hope for the best." He said, reaching out the clap the girl on the shoulder.

"Jesse..."

Following Angela's gaze, he saw Bolton starting to move. The man walked around a wall, completely out of sight.

"Stay here. I'm gonna check to make sure we're clear." He said in a hushed voice.

Leaving the girls behind him, Jesse started forward. He crept along the ally, keeping his ears on alert for any sounds ahead. There were no birds or bugs here to indicate life. Nothing at all made a single sound except the shuffling of his clothing and boots on the ground. When he reached the corner where Bolton had been, he eased around and looked. There was nothing. The other team had moved out of sight. Cursing under his breath, he leaned back and gestured for his own team to move forward. When the sounds of their footsteps reached him, the gunman rounded the corner and kept on. The darkness of the ally only added to the ominous feeling that overtook him. Something wasn't right.

Taking off his hat, Jesse held it out just around the corner. As soon as it was within sight, shots fired. Hole after hole tore through it, forcing him to drop it and jump back. Behind him, Angela grabbed his shoulder. She pulled back, making him fall backwards against her legs. Wherever their allies had gone, it wasn't this way. And it seemed the lack of killing people had ended. If he'd have stepped around that edge, they would have blown him away without a second though. It all suddenly became much more serious. The escorting of these girls turned into an actual life for death situation. Was he supposed to find their fellow's path and follow or keep his team where it was safe?

"Shee-it." He said and pushed up. "We gotta backtrack." He said quickly and placed a hand at the small of Angela's back to usher her back the way they'd come. "To the last shop, ladies. Move it."

Opal was the first inside. She quickly secured the other door, making sure nothing had tried to sneak around them. Angela and Jesse were in just a few seconds later. He left the door open but settled himself next to it so he could watch down the thin road behind. Where had the other's gone? He'd moved in right behind them and yet it was like they vanished. Was there a doorway he'd missed? Some path that somehow, he'd managed to walk right by. It was too dangerous to go check now. If he was on his own, maybe. But Angela and Opal were under his charge. The last thing he could do was leave them behind. And Angela was their medic. He couldn't send her back to the barricade. If something happened, she was going to be needed far more than he was.

"Are you alright?"

But if he moved ahead just a little to confirm the enemies position...

"Jesse?"

There might be a chance he could sneak by and find a route for them.

"Hey!"

Two hands gripped his face, turning his head until his dark eyes met blue ones. Angela was kneeling in front of him, her gloved fingers gentle. Her expression was that of concern. He realized he'd dropped into his own little world of planning, ignoring his team. It wasn't just him here. They were part of this two. Making the decision all on his own was not only selfish, it was foolish. Taking a breath, he placed one hand over one of hers and gave a slight nod.

"Sorry 'bout that, darlin'." He said and cleared his throat.

"I was just worried we might have lost you for a second." She said, leaning back and looking to Opal, who seemed to be perfectly fine. "What now?"

"I guess we decide what to do next."

"You're the leader." Opal said, sounding like she expected more from him.

Jesse shook his head.

"I ain't doin' this alone. You ladies wanna throw out some ideas?"

Opal threw him a look that seemed almost irritated. But Angela moved sit down beside him. She tapped her fingers on the barrel of her gun and appeared to be deep in thought. At least one of them was on his side.

"We can't go back."

"No we can't." He confirmed.

"So then we go forward.

"Looks like it."

The cowboy and the medic turned, looking to their third party. The young woman frowned. She seemed like she didn't really want to progress. And for that, he could not blame her. This wasn't what they thought they would be doing today. Hell, he didn't imagine they'd be put into this kinda mess for a good long while. Even so, this was where they found themselves. The smart thing to do would be to pull back and try to get some backup. It was the logical next step for them. Angela had the same look in her eye that he knew he must. No one was getting left behind if they could help it. If Opal joined them, he'd appreciate it but he couldn't force her, even if he was in charge. Maybe there was a way to satisfy them both.

"Here's what we're gonna do." He said, leaning forward a bit. "I'm gonna progress forward with Angela. We're gonna try and find out where the others are. Opal, I want you to get back to the barricade. Let them know the situation and see if you can get ahold of anyone from Overwatch. Any backup we can get would be mighty helpful."

The shot gunner frowned. She acted like she wanted to argue but instead, she gave a stern nod.

"Yes sir."

After checking to make sure things were clear, she moved out the back door and headed into the shadow of the farther ally. Angela took her gun and slipped it into the holster. A moment later, she pulled out the staff and extended it fully. When she noticed his gaze, she gave a confident smile.

"Trust me, this is going to help."


	8. Chapter 8

"You look so much younger without that hat."

Jesse perked a brow and glanced over his shoulder. Angela was crouched behind him as they eased there way through a side shop he'd missed his first pass through. It was far from any safer though. From within the cafe they'd found, the street outside was visible. The pair had ducked behind the counter, hiding from whatever mechanical eyes might be outside. At first they'd thought it was clear but then an omnic had patrolled right past them. There was still the sound of metal against concrete somewhere nearby, keeping them both on edge. Her comment caught him slightly off guard. In a time when they could be caught for the slightest sound, she wanted to point out something like that?

"That's why I wear it, darlin'." He said, letting out a very hushed laugh. It also kept his hair out of his face most of the time.

"This whole thing sort of made me forget how young me are. This feels like something people our age shouldn't be doing, doesn't it?" She said softly. She was afraid and he couldn't blame her.

"Hey..." He started and turned around. Jesse grabbed one of her smaller hands and held it in his. "We're not supposed to be out here but these people needed help and I'll be damned if age is gonna keep me from helpin' out. You chose to be a doctor, right? Well don't worry so much, doc. You're gonna help our team and those hostages. We just gotta find 'em."

Angela smiled wide, the light of it reaching her eyes. She nodded firmly and squeezed his hand. He gave a quick squeeze back before letting go.

After listening for just a second longer, the gunman started forward. He edged through the cafe until they found a window that opened on the far side. It wasn't open already, which probably meant Gabe's team hadn't been through here. But it was a path forward so they were going to take it. Carefully, he eased it open and climbed through. Standing up, he turned to help the blonde out next. Grabbing her hips, he lifted her over the ledge and set her down on the street below. She gripped her staff tightly and instantly started looking around for any sign of movement. The march bot could still be heard a distance away but there was no other signs of life...natural or otherwise.

"This way." He said and pulled his weapon again. They moved along the wall, keeping close as they tried to be as invisible as possible. "I wonder if Diza is still up top." He pondered aloud. Behind him, Angela hummed a response.

As they reached the opening of the ally, he heard more and more commotion starting. Something was going on. Holding up a fist, he halted Angela before progressing forward. As slowly as he could, Jesse leaned around the corner and looked out. The image of his hat being torn to shreds did not leave his mind as he did so. However, this time there were no shots. His dark eyes grew wide as he took in the sight before him. What appeared to be a clothing store had been turned into some sort of base of operations for this terrorist movement. There were small bots on the large letters that made up the name of the shop. Their red beam eyes moved back and forth like search lights. On the ground level, more bots walked back and forth. They were about his size but with guns instead of arms. They too had red orbs glowing at the center of their heads. No faces, no expressions, just that shining camera.

"Shit." He muttered and pulled back. Remaining as silent as possible, he backtracked until he was with the medic again. "I didn't see any sign of the other's but man, we're in for a hell of a fight if we try'n go in there." He said, running a hand through his hair to shove it back from his face.

"The other's must have gone farther around." She said but nothing more. He looked up and found her gaze past him. "Jesse don't move." She breathed.

Down the ally where he'd just been, an omni now stood. It's gaze wasn't towards them yet but all it would have to do was turn and they'd be right there in its sight. He shifted himself until he was in front of her, gun rising slowly from his side. There were some clicking sounds behind him, ones he didn't know but could only assume were coming from the medic. They needed to move back around the last corner but he was afraid to move. Before the decision could be made, that orb turned towards them. Instantly the bot reacted. It squealed out some mechanical shriek before the gun on it's arm cocked. His entire body tensed as his gun arm shot up and fired. The bullet slammed into the omnic's eye, silencing the sound and ending the glowing red light. The marching sound of more bots coming did not allow any relief at the first kill.

"Move!" He said, turning and pressing her forward. He kept his body between the end of the ally and her. If more came around, at least she'd have the chance to escape.

Bullets started firing behind them, punching holes into the walls and shattering the glass around them. He kept his head down as they rounded the corner. Pain blossomed in his side and arm but he ignored it as he curled his body around hers. She was shaking but hadn't made a sound until after the fire stopped. They could hear the enemy now moving forward to look for them. The cafe had the door on the other side but Jesse looked up, seeing bots moving by the windows. They were about to be surrounded.

"Are you okay? Jesse you're bleeding!" He heard the doc say as she turned around to face him. Her gloved fingers gingerly touched at his shoulder, making the gunman wince. "You've been shot...three times. We have to deal with this." She said, fumbling to get her staff off the floor where she'd apparently dropped it a few seconds ago when they entered.

"No, I need you to hide. Maybe there's an attic I can boost you up into..." He said, eyes turning to the ceiling.

"I'm not going to hide and leave you down here to fight alone. We can defeat them."

"And just how do you think we're gonna take on all these things?"

"This!" She said, holding up her staff. The end of it started to glow gold, some sort of warm energy emitting from it. "Just hold still." She added and before he could protest, the energy reached out, touching his body. It flowed through him like a good shot of liquor. His stomach heated up first before it moved to the spots he'd been shot. The pain faded within seconds, vanishing entirely as she disconnected the staff from him. "We'll need to check you out when you get back but now you shouldn't be hindered."

There were more mechanical squeaks from outside, indicating the bots were getting closer to where they'd dove in.

"And now this." She said before running her thumb over some unseen nub on the staff's body. The gold light became an electric blue. "This is what I was talking about before. Trust me?" She asked.

Jesse stared into those big blue eyes and nodded.

"I do."


	9. Chapter 9

The crunching sounds of their enemies increased in volume. The shadows passing in front of the windows grew more frequent. They were running out of time. If they remained as they were, the bots would find them. The odds of them making it out alive were pretty slim. The omnics already had hostages and had no need for more. They'd already opened up fire on them, nothing was going to stop them from entering this building and pulling the trigger again. Angela was the one with the plan now. Her thin fingers were tightly wrapped around her staff, determined eyes on him. Sure, he was nervous but whatever it was in her that made her so confident had worked its way into him. She knew what she was doing. He had to believe that.

"When I say, you take them out."

Clearly his look of doubt did not go unseen.

"I don't have time to fully explain this but when I lock onto you, you'll have more responsive reflexes, faster movement...and more. Just do what you normally would. Let's see those cowboy skills!" She cheered, her accent making her more cute than encouraging but that worked for him.

"Alrighty, Doc. Let's do it." He said before he could talk himself out of it.

There was a cracking sound, drawing both their attentions to the far left side. Something was pushing against the side of the building. Wood began to splinter, a webbing cutting across the glass of what windows remained. They were getting ready to break through the wall. Soon their cover would be entirely gone. If Angela's plan was going to work, they were about to have to try it out. The gunman quickly checked his weapon, making sure each round was in place. The doctor placed a hand on his shoulder before she crouched behind him. The end of her staff continued to glow blue, swirls of strange light rolling off the end. He swallowed hard and nodded.

The same strange sensation came over him. It was like her healing beam but instead of just warm, he felt something like a shot. His body tensed for a moment, locking up but then relaxing. It made him feel...strong. Jesse's heart pounded in his chest, trigger finger itching. When those bots came through, he was ready to blow them right the hell back out. Shoving his hair back, he kept low. The ones outside were still a threat. Always be ready.

Before another thought could cross his mind, the wall gave way. Furniture and decorations crumbled beneath the weight of the falling wood. It was barely down when the first bot came through. It's red eye fell on them, beaming as the torso began to shift for aim. For Jesse, it was all happening in slow motion. He could see the works of the omnic, the sliding of the weapon as it prepared to fire. There was no thinking, only instinct. No plan formulated in his mind, just action. The cowboy rolled forward, his knee planting down to steady himself as he fired up. Closer now, he fired directly through the bottom of the omnic's head. The light and whatever was running it exploded out the top. The sounds it made as it was falling back didn't even phase him. He'd moved on to the next target.

Two more bots were coming in from the right side. They were already firing. Their bullets cut through the wood of the back wall, shattering everything in their path. From the sound of it, there were more behind them, prepared to roll though just as quickly. In the position they were in, there would be no way to keep fending them off. Even with the speed he'd been gifted, Jesse was going to have to pull back and reload at some point. He was quick but sometimes it was best to be ready for the bad before it had a chance to happen. Taking a second, he looked up. There was a flat portion of ceiling above them, a patio on the second floor, perhaps?

"Come on, doc. We gotta get to higher ground." He said and ran back. Taking her hand, he pulled the woman out through the way they'd come in. Bullet still rang behind them. "Up here, little lady."

He intertwined his fingers to make her a step. In the ally, there was a fire escape that had no way to bring the ladder down. Or maybe it did, but he had no time to look. Angela placed the flat of her boot into his hands and he hoisted her up. Damn she was light. The blonde managed to grab the metal railing and pulled herself up. Spinning around, she laid on her belly and stretched one arm out towards him. He doubted she could lift him but in moments of crisis, people could do amazing things. Their fingers locked together and she gave one hard pull. It was enough to give him more leverage to grab the bars. She got up and pulled at his arm, helping to scramble the rest of the way up.

"What are you going to do?" She asked as they raced around the side of the upper level. When they reached the front, he discovered he'd been right about the patio. It overlooked the entire street. But it also exposed them to the bots that were sitting aboe their little head quarters. "Jesse, what is the plan!" She asked again, tugging at his arm.

She wasn't wrong to panic. Eye after eye turned towards them, narrowing in.

"Get that stick a'yours ready." He ordered and ran forward. The shock of her beam instantly connected to him as he reached the edge. "Just keep it on, Angel." He said before jumping onto the railing. A smirk fell over his features as he focused on each and every one of the bots that were either looking at him or walking around to get a better view. The peacemaker rose, his palm rising over the hammer.

"It's High Noon."


	10. Chapter 10

Shots rang through the air one after the next. The gunman's hand came down over the hammer again and again until every bullet was spent. Each shot found its mark, breaking into the metal skulls of the enemies as they tried and failed to react fast enough. Moments like these didn't happen very often. It was like perfect clarity. The world was black and white aside from the target. He could see it like it I was lit up for him. But it just wasn't enough. Flipping the weapon forward, it cracked open and spilled casings down into the road below. Jesse jerked a quick loader from his belt and pressed the new rounds into place. It took him only a heart beat but that was enough for a few of the remaining bots to fire up at him.

Pain ripped through his chest and arm but he didn't falter. His aim stayed true as he fired down on them. Each Omnic fell, the red of their eyes blow apart by the piercing rounds of the revolver. Again, he reloaded the gun, spinning around to shut down anything coming out of the shop they'd made their temporary home. Metal screeched and mechanical sounds shorted out in a matter of seconds. When it was all over, he jumped back onto the patio and took in a deep breath. But someone was shouting.

"Jesse! What the hell were you thinking!?" It was Angela. She ran over, her fingers touching his face. "You could have been killed, running up there. Every one of those monsters could see you! Your arm...and your chest. What is the matter with you!?" She said in a rush, her hands moving down to his chest.

"It's clear now, ain't it? We need to get in there before any of them patrollin' bots come around." He said and suddenly had to place a hand on her shoulder. His head felt a little off, like he was swaying. Maybe he was.

"This is bad. You're losing a lot of blood. And I don't think I have enough juice left in this to completely heal you." She said, placing her small hand over a spot near his ribs. When he looked down, he saw red covering his torso and her fingers. "You have to wait here. I'll go check out the store. If they aren't there, I'll come back, okay?" She said quickly and tried to guide him towards the wall to sit. Jesse didn't let her.

"There ain't no way in hell I'm lettin' you go down there alone. Right now it's just us. We can't go splittin' up." He protested and placed his own hand over the wound. Ignoring her angry look, he started back towards the fire escape. He didn't even bother to look for another way down. "Let's just get this over with."

"Excuse me! I am the medic on this assignment and what I say goes!" She snapped, grabbing his arm. It made him wince but he tried to hide it. "You are not in any condition to continue. I will check the store then hopefully Opal will have found some help. If she could reach Commander Morrison, he could come and..."

"No."

The blonde stopped and stared at him.

"I know I'm in bad shape, doc. I'm not a fool, ya know. But I can't let you go down there alone. All you got is that little pistol. If something happened to you, it would be on me. I couldnd't live with myself. And besides. What's Reyes gonna say when I have to tell him I lose his girl?"

That last statement seemed to stun her. Angela blushed heavily and looked away. That seemed to curb her desire to shut him down for the moment. Thinking such, gunman started forward again. He reached the escape and looked down. It was probably going to hurt like hell to drop but it wasn't like he had a lot of options at the moment. The soft sound of foot steps came from behind and he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"We go together, but please...I can fight too, you know. Let me help if it comes to that. Don't make these wounds worse." She asked.

Jesse smiled and nodded.

"You got it, Angel."

And with that, he moved down. Carefully, he managed to slid down and drop off with minimal pain. His body ached and he felt dizzy but he managed to hide that from his parter. Or at least, he hoped that was the case. Turning around, he prepared to catch the doctor but there was no need. She made a little huffing face and jumped off. The wings on her back spread out and the light from them intensified. Whatever the tech was, it allowed her to gracefully glide to the ground and land with ease. He stared at her, his vision blurred around the edges. Damn she was gorgeous. And now she was so much more like the Angel he already thought she was.

"Come on."

Her words broke his concentration and he was able to focus again. This time she took point. Her staff was put away and now her gun was held by both hands. The woman moved ahead of him like the agent he'd forgotten she was. Every movement she made was like his own. Her back stayed to the wall, her body tense as she checked corners and above. How could he have been so damn sexist as to think she more like a little nurse than a true operative. That was something he'd have to apologize to her for when they made it out of this mess.

"Clear." She said and moved into the open street. Jesse stayed right on her heels. "No movement inside."

They stepped over the now lifeless bodies of the omnics he'd struck down. Could you call it lifeless? He shook that wondering thought away and followed her lead. Inside, the store had been left largely as it was. There weren't any of the things you'd expect from human terrorists. No computers or weapons. No plans or blockades. What did they need those things for? The omnics were computers. Their minds could probably link up or something. All they needed were the guns built into their bodies and they were good, right?

There were also no signs of hostages. They report said there were civilians still in here, right? They checked each corner of the store and even the back storage rooms. Nothing. There were no bodies, so hopefully all the missing people were still alive. But there was genuinely no sign that any humans had been forced to remain here. Was it possibly this wasn't their actual base of operations? Maybe this was just a watch point and their real HQ was somewhere deeper in the district. If that were the case, it could explain why their team wasn't here. They may have moved on to the next point. As much as he wanted to continue on their trail, Jesse knew he'd just about reached his limit. Any further and he wasn't going to be able to do squat.

"They aren't here. There's no sign of anyone." Angela said in a defeated tone. She'd been hoping to find Reyes.

"Don't go thinkin' negative thoughts. Just look." He said and leaned against a counter. "No blood, no sign of a struggle. There were no people here. That means that everyone passed by here without getting detected, unlike us. They are probably safe, working on freeing the hostages...wherever the hell they are."

She frowned and nodded. Her gaze turned back to him.

"I have to wrap up that wound now that we're clear. You won't even make it back to the carrier."

The blonde looked around for a moment before she picked up a shirt from one of racks hanging around. He watched as she tore it apart, making strips of fabric. Knowing what was next, he stood up straight again. It hurt, feeling like he was being overstretched around the middle. Every breath caused an ache at his ribs. Whatever that bullet hit, it was bleeding a lot and reallly making life harder. The gunman pulled his gear off, then his shirt. The skin around the gunshot wound was red and irritated but it looked like every other gunshot that had hit him. The scar would match the other ones that riddled his young form.

"Just keep your arms up and hold still." She said as she approached. Using what was left of the shirt, she cleaned around the wound. The pain was bad but it got a hell of a lot worse when she pulled a little bottle from a back on her hip. It was some sort of alcohol disinfectant spray. The instant it touched his injured flesh, pain seared through him. The gunner bit his tongue to keep from making a sound. "You don't have to try and be strong on my behalf. I know how bad this stings." She said, a hint of amusement in her tone.

"You do your job and I'll do mine, doc." He said through grinding teeth.

"Oh? And what is your job? Be the big tough man?" She teased, slowing encircling his body with the makeshift bandages.

"You're damn right." He replied and tried to relax though his body wasn't having it. "200% American man here, darlin'. I was born into a nest a-bald eagle feathers and swaddled in the red, white, and blue." His voice was strained but he managed to get a laugh from the woman.

"Americans." She said and shook her head.

After the wraps were tight, she tied them off and helped him to get his shirt and gear back on. They were still covered in blood but that was at the bottom of his list of concerns. Maybe he'd be able to go a little farther with her. But the look on her face didn't seem like she was going to agree to that plan. The woman took a deep breath and wiped her blood covered hands on her pants. She was a mess too, mostly because of him. Maybe jumping up on that railing wasn't the best idea but at least they weren't hiding anymore.

"What are we going to do now?" She said, her voice less confident than it had been up on that patio. "I know we should turn back and find Opal but...what if they need us?"

There was more worry on her face than he'd ever seen on anyone before. A pang of sad and guilty jealously rang in him. Her concern was for Reyes over anyone else. She wanted to know he was safe and to have him back. He felt terrible for feeling how he did. What could he do to help her in the shape he was in? She was all out of her magic medical power ups and he had lost too much blood to be able to do anything for a while. Letting her go alone wasn't an option. What could they do aside from head back? Even though he hated it, they had to be smart here.

"If we go forward, we're gonna have to avoid all combat and we just won't be able to, I know it. We'd end up dead or captured. Then someone else is gonna get hurt tryin' ta-find us." He said in a quiet voice. "We gotta head back, make sure Opal is okay and find out what we can do to help." The words stung as they left his lips.

"You're right. We're no good dead or as a burden. We regroup at the barricade. Maybe Overwatch knows the situation now and can spare someone to help." She said, defeated once again.

Walking over, she took his arm and slung it over her small shoulders. Jesse eased a little of his weight onto her but not much. She was tough but he couldn't help himself. The pair walked along the side of the street. She kept her gun in the hand around his waist, always ready just in case something managed to sneak up on him. Little by little, they'd make there way back. Every step hurt and made him feel a little heavier. His pace dragged but never stopped.

"Almost there." Angela said softly, her eyes always scanning ahead of them even when he couldn't bring himself to look up. "Just a little farther now..."


	11. Chapter 11

"Look!"

Jesse managed to lift his head, which had become pretty damn heavy. He could see people running towards them. Someone was shouting but every beat of his heart seemed louder. It was hard to focus on anything but that sound. He wanted to know what was being said. Were they in danger? Did he need to do something? In what he thought was a rush of motion, the gunman tried to pull his arm up, weapon in hand. Something stopped him, catching his wrist. The Peacemaker left his fingers and concern managed to push past the haze of blood loss. What was happening?

"Whoa there hot rod." Came a gruff, familiar voice. "Can't have you shooting anyone."

"He's lost a lot of blood. I used everything I brought with me. I'm so sorry, sir. I should have been more prepared."

Angela's sweet voice was slow and distant, like he was under water. She sounded so upset, like she'd done something wrong. But he knew that wasn't the case. The woman had worked her ass off to keep him alive, just like he'd done for her. They were a hell of a team. No one should make her feel otherwise. And he'd be damned if he'd stand by and let her plead for forgiveness when she didn't do anything wrong. Didn't this other person know what a hard situation they'd been put in right out the gate? As far as he knew, the poor doctor didn't even have any real field experience. She'd done great under pressure.

"Hey, don't you go apologizing to anyone." He slurred out, dragging heavy brown eyes up. It was then that he found dark eyes staring back. "Reyes...man are you a sight for sore eyes. We...were looking for you."

"Get him on the carrier. Angela come with me. We're going to brief the others on what you were doing out there." His voice was so damn uptight. The guy needed to lighten up.

"Come on boss, we just wanna go home." Jesse continued but someone was grabbing his shoulders. They were trying to ease him down. He did feel pretty tired. Sitting seemed like a good idea. "I'll just..." And that was it.

The very next sounds the gunman heard were sharp beeps and something like scribbling. It took some effort but he managed to get his eyes to open. White light blinded him instantly, making him drag an arm up to cover his face. When he did, pain shot through him. It was like the muscles in his arm were being jerked out by a chain. One hazy orb opened and took in his own limb. There were tubes hooked up to him, taped into place along his arm. There were also a good amount of bruises in various spots, like maybe the whole IV thing hadn't gone right the first...dozen times. Tearing his gaze from that, he looked to the rest of his body. Below the blankets, his torso was bare. There were bandages covering a few stops, one larger than the rest. When he tried to move, something stopped him. A gentle hand on his other arm.

"You need to remain still."

Angela was there. She had on sky blue scrubs and had a clipboard held to her chest. That must have been the other sound he heard; her writing away at that thing. She looked tired, more than when they'd parted ways before. Bags hung under her eyes, eyes that were pretty bloodshot. Her hair was down, a mess around her pale face. She looked like she needed a good rest and maybe a stiff drink. Had she returned from the mission and gone straight into work? Wasn't there another doctor here that could have taken care of him and anyone else that was hurt? There was no way she was the only one.

"Damn, honey. You look like I feel." He teased but only received the hint of a smile from her. "How long have we been back?" He asked, relaxing back without protest.

"We got back sixteen hours ago. You had internal bleeding but luckily the bullets that hit you didn't do too much damage. It was nothing surgery couldn't fix. You will need bed rest for a while so your body can strengthen. The Nano tech isn't really meant to do this much. You have to be able to take care of yourself but I can help the pain." Every word that left her mouth was hollow and stiff, like it was rehearsed. She sounded like a damn robot.

"Have you gotten any sleep?" He asked, ignoring all her medical talk.

"Ga...Commander Reyes instructed me to take care of you."

"You say that like it might'a been more than that."

She hesitated.

"It was my fault you were injured so badly. If I had been better prepared, I could have cared for you in the field and you'd have been fine. I packed light, I wasn't ready for the mission like I should have been. I had minimal medical supplies because I relied too much on the Caduceus instead of my own abilities. And I didn't even stock it enough..." Her words poured out, becoming more shaken with each one. Her arms shook and he could see the tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

"Hey hey..." He said and against her instructions, he sat up some. Jesse reached out and grabbed her hand. She didn't protest. "No one was prepared. We got rushed outta here with damn near no prep time. You did a great job out there. I wouldn't be here without ya, Angel." He said and smiled. "We were a hell of a team. Even if we didn't find the hostages, we took out a chunk of their forces. That's somethin'. As for the medical mumbo jumbo, learn from it. Be ready for next time. I'll even remind ya, Sugar."

The blonde started at him, her lower lip trembling. Damn if he'd ever seen anything that adorable in his life. Suddenly she dropped the clipboard and moved forward. Her arms wrapped around his neck, hugging tight. Jesse brought one arm up with ease, squeezing her back with much less force. When he tried to move the other, he winced. The pain returning from his abused limb. Angela let go and leaned back. Her eyes shifted to his arm and she sighed. Clearly she was well aware of the damage done.

"I'm so, so sorry about that. Opal tried to hook up your IV in the carrier while I was with Reyes and the police Chief. She...isn't very good at finding veins, apparently." She said and walked around the other side of his bed. After wiping her eyes, she used a key to unlock the plastic box attached to the IV stand. "This should help. But don't tell." She teasingly whispered as she tapped a few of the flat buttons. He didn't need to be a doctor to know she was letting some pain killers flow into him. Yeah, that would help.

"Thanks, hon. Make sure you remember what I said, alright? And I'm fine now. Sneak off and get some sleep. Boss man can't be too hard on ya."

As she shut the case, the smile remained on her face.

"I'll try. Get some sleep, Jesse."


	12. Chapter 12

"How the hell did you manage to lose three members of your team? Damnit Reyes they could have been killed out there."

Jack sat at the other end of holo-table. He had his armor off, coat cast aside. Much like Blackwatch, Overwatch had been out on assignment. The Strike Commander looked like he could drop at any moment. But for them, there was little time for rest. Gabriel Reyes stood at the other end of the table. He still wore all his gear, not having had a chance to remove anything or clean up since they returned. His arms were crossed over his chest, temper flaring but kept in check for now. He'd come to report to his so called leader when really he just wanted a shower and to get into bed. Jack never made anything easy, though.

"I told you, a decision had to be made and I made it. McCree is a capable agent. He's got more experience in dangerous situation than most of those recruits combined. I trusted him." He growled out, still maintaining as much control as he could. "We got separated but that's why I put him in charge of the second team. I knew if something went wrong, he'd be able to handle it."

It was the truth. Deadlock might have been mostly a bunch of idiots but that boy had been an unexpected prize. Over and over, Blackwatch was handed spoiled brats who liked the color black too much. They thought they had what it took to work the hard stuff. Most of the time, that was far from the case. After meeting and fighting Jesse, he'd known immediately that he needed the kid on his team. That had been proven more than ever today. Though he wasn't about to say it to Jack, he was grateful the kid had been there. He couldn't imagine what would have happened to Opal and Angela without someone like him there to help.

"We'll talk about this tomorrow." Jack said, breaking the shotgunner's train of thought. "I'm beat, Gabe. Let's just be glad that everyone made it back today and deal with the rest after a few hours of sleep."

His words came as a surprise. In all there time working together, he'd always known Jack to be a workaholic. The man never wanted to stop. If there was something left unfinished, it made the man crazy. It was one of the reasons they clashed. Not every little thing had to be done immediately. The mission he was on must have been much more difficult than expected. It took a lot to get men like them low. Not that he felt either of them was, it was just a dangerous line to walk. Work too hard and you'll burn yourself out, becoming useless to the people that needed you. Don't do enough and you'll never be of any help to anyone.

"Fine. I'm going to check on the kid before I call it a night. Get some rest, Jack."

Angela had insisted he sleep. She'd argued all her medical points before finally giving him a flat look and shut off the light. Truthfully, Jesse just couldn't rest. His mind was too active. It was late, he knew that. It had been maybe two hours since the blonde had left him alone yet still he remained awake. Medication was keeping him comfortable so it really was only his mind that kept his eyes open in the dark. The ceiling above didn't provide much in the ways of comfort. It was just something to stare at while he tried to stop his rampant thoughts. He was plagued by the details of the mission he didn't yet know, worries for Angela and Opal even though they were all home, and wondering about when he'd be able to return to the field. With her tech, she could probably have him back out there fast...unless Overwatch had some sorta policy about that sorta thing. He'd heard professional operations like this had their pointless regulations. In Deadlock, if you could shuffle along and lift a weapon, you were field ready.

The heavy sound of boots reached his ears. Jesse groaned some and pushed himself up. The curtain still blocked his view of the rest of the space but it certainly sounded like whoever it was, was coming towards his little room. The falls were too loud to be the petite doctor. It sounded like a man...maybe Reyes. He swallowed hard, wondering just what sort of trouble he'd be in for getting so beat up on the job. He'd probably get told off for sending Opal off alone, or for putting Angela in danger with his tactics. The gunner tried to mentally prepare himself for it even as they curtain was pulled back.

"Hey kid." Came the gruff voice he expected. Reyes didn't bother turning on the light, only letting the outside illumination in. "You awake enough to talk?"

"Yeah, boss. What can I do for ya?" He replied, his tone quiet.

Reyes walked over and leaned against the counter. He picked up the clipboard left there and examined it for a moment.

"You came out of it well, that's good. Can't have you dying on us." Silence fell for a moment, both men looking down. He set the board aside and crossed his arms. "I've reviewed everything from Opal and Angela's reports. You handled yourself well out there but taking on that base with just the two of you, that was reckless. You could have been killed. Hell if Angela hadn't been there, you would have been."

Jesse looked up, meeting the older man's eyes. If he was gonna be reprimanded or punished, he'd take it like a man.

"If you weren't in Blackwatch, you'd be in for it, kid. But if you're gonna be in my team...that's what I'm looking for. You didn't run, you didn't back down. I wasn't sure how I'd feel when I came in here. I had personal feelings about Angela being involved in that dangerous situation but she's an agent, just like the rest of us. And I have to set personal involvement aside." He explained, looking away. Jesse remained silent. "You both did a hell of a job out there. You sent for backup while maintaining the enemy position. You both worked together to take them out and continue the rescue mission. I put you in charge of that second group and you lead them well. Good job." He said and stood up straight once again. "Get some rest. I want you back out there asap."

"Yes sir, thank you sir." He said and swallowed hard. Relief washed over him. "Could I...say something? Like that whole, speakin' freely deal?"

"Go ahead."

"She ain't gonna be able to deal with this." He said after a moment, his voice low in case Angela might be near. "She did a hell of a job, don't get me wrong. I owe that little lady my life but...The personal thing ya mentioned, it's gonna get in the way. If I were you, I'd cut her loose. Being your girlfriend's boss...that don't bode well, ya know?"

Reyes remained in the doorway for a moment before he nodded.

"Maybe you're right. Get some rest, kid."


	13. Chapter 13

"I've been thinking."

"About what?"

"You being in Blackwatch."

Angela lifted her head and stared at him. The pale fingers that had been playing along his chest stopped. Already, their was tension in the air, but that was expected. He'd known that this wasn't going to go well but he'd also known that it was the right thing to do the instant McCree said it. Putting her in Blackwatch was selfish. He'd wanted to watch her, protect her, and keep her close. Any leader should know that such personal relationships couldn't be in that situation. She would be his top priority and that would compromise him as the Commander of Blackwatch. The fact that even the new kid had seen it meant that everyone else must have as well. It needed to be resolved now rather than later.

"And what exactly is wrong with me being in Blackwatch?" She asked, calm but her voice was laced with irritation.

"I shouldn't have pulled you in. We can't have a relationship while I'm your direct commander." He explained, seeing already that being nice about it wouldn't matter. She was going to be upset.

"One mission gone off track and you're going to throw me out? Was yelling at me not enough?" She snapped. Her hand pressed against his chest, giving her leverage to sit up. "I did my job out there. Just because I didn't bring enough..." She muttered as she drew the sheet up around herself.

"Hey..." Sitting up with her, he tried to wrap an around about her shoulders but she shrugged him away. "...this isn't about that mission. Well, not in the way you think it is. You did a fine job. The problem is me. I treated you like I would anyone else at first. I yelled, I went off. But then I regretted it. I felt bad and I apologized. Making you happy was more important than being your leader. That's a bad thing, Ang. It can't be that way. I should have known better than to bring you under my command. I can't have you with me like this and have you in Blackwatch. It has to be one or the other."

Ana had tried to warn him about this. She'd once caught Angela and himself in the lockers after her initial recruitment. The blonde hadn't been given an official placement yet and he'd put in a request that she join his team as the medic. Once they parted ways, he was approached by the other leader. She'd been kind but blunt, as always. At the time, he thought he could handle everything. Angela was a new and exciting part of his life. He'd wanted to keep her as close as possible. Of course that was still something he desired but it was clear they needed to separate when it came to work. It wasn't professional, as Ana had put it. It was foolish to ever think they could be different from couples of the past.

"You're sending me to Jack, then?" She asked after a few moments of silence between them.

"We've talked about it and..."

"You've already discussed this without even talking to me about it first?" She asked, turning those big blue eyes towards him now. They were full of anger and hurt.

"This is why we can't do this. I don't have to talk to you at all about it. I'm your senior agent and your boss. If I want to transfer you, I don't have to discuss it with you or give you a reason." He snapped, glaring back at the woman.

Angela glared back with just as much intensity before she threw the sheet aside and got up. Instantly he regretted raising his voice to her, just like he had after that mission.

"Wait." He said and quickly shifted himself to the edge of the bed. Gabriel took her hand, gently keeping her from walking away. After a few seconds, she relented and allowed him to pull her back. "I'm selfish." He spoke softly, drawing her closer. "It was either keep you as my medic or keep you as mine. The choice was easy."

She was still mad, he could see it in the way her shoulders remained tense. Angela sighed. Slowly, she climbed onto his lap, legs straddling him. Her arms draped around his shoulders to gently toy with the short hair at the back of his neck. His dark eyes shut, body leaning forward into hers. From the moment he met this woman, she'd had a hold over him. Bolton had referred to her as Jail bait the instant they laid eyes on her. He wasn't wrong. Angela had been slightly under age when arriving at Overwatch. Reyes kept his hands to himself until she'd crossed that line but after, well they'd gotten themselves into more than a few compromising positions in the base. Luckily they were both fairly decent at keeping it under wraps. As far as he knew, Ana was formerly the only one he knew was aware of them. Jack knew now, of course. They'd discussed things before Gabriel put in for her transfer.

"I understand." She said quietly, breaking up his thoughts. "I'm still not happy that I have to start over with a new team but...I'd choose you every time."

"Oh I don't know. I might have to worry about suave Commander Morrison stealing your heart." He teased, lips curved up in a smirk. "He's perfect for you. Wavy blond hair, ocean blue eyes. Every woman's dream man." Came more teasing. Angela grinned, expression mirroring his own.

"I've always been a fan of the tall, dark, and handsome men, myself."


	14. Chapter 14

Angela had been like a mother hen as he left the infirmary. She had a lot of advice but more than anything, she had that doe-eyed look to her as he gathered himself up to go. Jesse knew why. The medic was still blaming herself for what happened to him. No matter how many times he'd tried to tell her that it was on his own shoulders, she just didn't see it that way. In her mind, it was her weakness that caused his injuries. Over and over, he'd tried to explain things to her but once something was set in her head, it seemed there was no fixing it.

And it seemed like there was something else on her mind. Though he'd asked, she refused to talk about it. At least not now. The blond promised to tell later but...he wasn't entirely counting on that.

Outside the building, he slumped down against a wall and took in a deep breath of the fresh air. It wasn't like Overwatch was stuffy or anything, he was just missing the outside. Nothing could beat a couple of lung fulls of real air, not the recycled stuff. That and he could have a cigar without anyone giving him dirty looks or Angela coming around to snatch it from him. The entire time she had him under her thumb, there was no chance to get a smoke in. Yes, he knew it was bad. Yes, he knew it was unhealthy. Did he care? Not entirely. Many a lecture had been given but he was just happy to escape all that to be out here in peace.

Pulling the cigar from his pocket, Jesse sighed as he realized it was a little bent. Oh well, he'd just hold it a little more carefully. Once it was lit, the gunman inhaled and let out a satisfied, smokey sigh of relief. The sun was gone, leaving only a sky full of stars. As he was staring up, the feeling of being watched came over him. Jesse smiled and didn't bother looking around. He already knew exactly who was watching him. Taking another puff from his cigar, he rolled his head lazily to the side, towards the corner just a few yards away.

"I know you're there, kid. Might as well come on out." He said softly and waited. Sure enough, seconds later Pharah came around the side of the building. "You always hangin' around out here?" He asked in the spirit of making conversation.

"Not always." She said as she walked over. The girl dropped down next to him. "Do you?"

Jesse laughed and shook his head.

"Only when I need a smoke and Momma Angie in there won't give me a break."

The girl laughed this time but tried to quiet herself. Her big brown eyes turned up to the sky, reflecting the stars. He followed her gaze and stared up as well. Something seemed off about the girl but he couldn't quit tell what it was. What kind of problems did a little girl from the city have? She had a parent, right? Maybe they were fighting or something. Only one way to find out.

"What's eatin' ya, kid?"

"Huh?"

"Somethin' wrong?" He clarified.

She huffed and fell silent, remaining that way for a few moments before finally speaking again.

"I was going to go fishing today but that didn't happen."

"Why not?"

"It got too busy. It's always too busy here. No one has time for anything anymore."

He could hear the pain in her words. She was probably going to go with her mom and after being here for a while, he knew Amari didn't have a lot of free time on her hands. The woman was always neck deep in whatever mess Overwatch was cleaning up. Like he'd thought before, raising a kid in this mess seemed like a rough job. But who was really suffering? Maybe she just couldn't see the hurt in her kid. Well he could see it just fine and maybe he could help out with this, even if it wasn't much.

"Well hot damn, girl. I'm a hell of a fisherman. How about we go right now?" He asked, looking over at her. "There's little pond on the property right? Is that where you go?"

"It's a lake." She said and then smiled brightly. "Are you sure? Don't you have stuff to do?" There was a familiar hesitation in her voice.

"Nope. I'm all yours. Show me where the stuff is and we'll go night fishin'. I'll show ya how a cowboy catches a fish."

"Jesse you aren't going to catch any fish that way!"

From the edge of the water, Pharah was shouting at him. There was laughter breaking up her words. Every time he glanced back, she was all smiles and vibrancy, even in the shadows of the night. Jesse had ended up making himself look foolish but at least it was making the kid happy. After his third fish in a row had gotten loose, the gunman lost his cool and jumped right in the water. Where they were, it wasn't very deep, only up to his knees. Sloshing out, he'd started trying to catch small fish with his hat. Apparently he was making quite the amusing scene because more and more laughter came from the girl. When he looked back again, she was rolling in the grass, laughing so hard that she could not speak. Now laughing as well, he made his way back to where she was.

"Hey this is an old technique. You should respect your elders." He commented as he climbed up and tossed his hat to the ground to let it dry. Jesse sat down soon after, stretching out to star up at the sky above.

"You're like...five years older than me or whatever, shut up." She wheezed and grinned. "Elder." She added and shook her head.

"S'far as I'm concerned, older is elder, kid."

Somewhere in the distance, a clock began to chime. The sound echoed to them, sounding off to alert them that it was two in the morning. He sighed and sat up. He'd kept this girl out long enough. Hopefully no one was going to be mad. She always seemed to be lurking around on her own anyway. At least with him, she wasn't alone out here like she could have been. He found himself wondering if Captain Amari even knew that her child was outside, let alone wondering around a lake. The thought sort of made him sad. Did Pharah realize the kind of situation she was in? If so, he hoped that she stayed as good as she was, given her situation.

"Alright, I think we've been out here long enough. Let's get this stuff inside and get you to bed." He said, pushing himself up off the ground to secure their lines and clean up.

Pharah sighed but didn't protest. She picked up his hat and gave it a good shake before holding it out to him. Jesse smiled and took it, slapping the wet hat back onto his head. She laughed and together they cleaned up. The walk back to headquarters wasn't long but they strolled in silence. It wasn't a bad quiet, just a heavy one. The little girl was swinging her arms, staring down at the ground in ground of her. He watched her, wondering just what was going on in her head. Was she sad? Had he helped her at all with her situation? Heck, was there even a situation to help with? It certainly seemed like it.

"Thanks, Jesse." Came her quiet voice.

"No problem, kid. It was fun." He said and offered her a warm smile.

It was returned with one of her own.


	15. Chapter 15

What had been wrong with Angela suddenly became dry obvious come the next Blackwatch training session. Jesse stood among the other members, eyes moving around for some sign of the blonde. However, it appeared that she was not going to be coming. Instantly his mind set to what could have happened. Maybe she was just sick, or maybe their reckless behavior had caused Gabe to give her the boot. Guilt settled in as he realized this was all his fault. She'd been removed and it was because of him. She'd been so kind to him and this was how he returned it? How could he fix this? He could talk to their leader but part of him felt like that was likely a lost cause.

"It's not your fault."

The cowboy looked down, having not even realized someone was standing next to him now. It was Opal. She was standing there with arms crossed, eyes forward. He could see that she also had a strained look on her face, though maybe not as bad as his if it were so obvious.

"Angela was transferred to primary Overwatch because of her relationship with Reyes." She said, as if she'd perfectly read his mind. "I thought the same thing you are now. That we were to blame but she told me everything when I went to apologize. Apparently she thought they were a secret." She added, the hint of amusement lurking on her features.

Jesse let out a breath. While he wasn't happy about her being gone, at least it was for a legitimate reason. Working and romance didn't seem like a great plan for anyone, especially a person who was in charge. He wondered if Reyes made that choice himself or if he was ordered...

"Well that's a shame. She was good on this team." He said, flicking his hat up a little. "I hope she has better luck on that end than she did with us." He added with a laugh.

The other nodded, looking round.

"Of course, now we're without a medic."

Angela sat in her office...yes her own office...staring at all that was now hers. She had her own space, her own responsibilities, and all that came with what was worded as a promotion. Yet, she wasn't sure that's what it was. From the moment she parted with Blackwatch, the young woman had been unsure of what her future might hold. Overwatch had medics for each team. Six man groups were sent out on missions, each with the same set of skills present. As far as she knew, they all currently had a medical specialists represented. Where did that leave her? Would she be writing for a new team or would she simply be benched? This promotion felt like being benched.

She had worked hard for all that she had. Being a doctor meant everything to her. She'd been an assistant before, even with her doctorate. It was all so she could learn how they did things here. Now...now she was the real deal. They'd given her an office, her own assistants and even a hefty sum towards her own research efforts. She would be able to do so much more with her nano tech and the Caduceus staff. Never again would she run out of juice for it and leave her friends in pain...

Would she ever get to use it herself, again?

The thought made her heart sink into her stomach. She was grounded, stuck here at headquarters to be the good doctor while everyone else went out and fought. Of course she'd been slightly afraid before but now she felt confident that she could help people out there. Gabriel had assured her that she'd be able to do just as much to help once she was out of Blackwatch but she didn't realize this was what she meant. In the field, she could help to curb the violence in the world. Here, she could only hope to be ready when someone was rushed in...and even then there were nurses and assistants to do the work. What was her role?

Dropping her head into her palms she tried to clean her mind. This was all dramatic and she was acting like a child. It was selfish to think that just because she couldn't get her way, no way was right at all. Research changed the world, advancements made life better for those around her. What she needed was a good boost in positivity. Maybe if she just threw herself into her work, she'd be able to put all those sad thoughts behind her and move forward. Anything was possible, right?

With that thought firmly in mind, Angela stood up and turned around. Behind her desk, there was a wall of windows. They overlooked the courtyard that sat somewhere in the middle of the facility. It was the only place to get a dose of the sun without having to go all the way outside to the outer perimeter. She loved the sun, it was so warm and being out in it always made her happy. Her favorite colors were the warm ones always associated with the sun. Red, orange, and yellow. Somehow she felt that Gabriel might have been behind her getting this particular office. It sent her heart fluttering to think that he'd do such a thing for her. In a situation that seemed so dark and unpleasant, at least she could enjoy the sun on her back as she worked.

A knock on the door dragged her from her sweet moment and put her back into reality. Smoothing out her lab coat, Angela turned around and sat down once more.

"Yes?"

The door opened and it was Commander Morrison who entered. She began to stand again but he ushered her down with a gesture of his hands.

"No need to stand up for me anymore, you know." He said with a perfect smile. Jack was a flirt sometimes but it was always innocent and she never minded so long as it stayed just like that. "You're leading your own section now, I think that gives us a little more informality, don't you?"

She sighed and nodded with a returned smile.

"Yes I suppose you are right. What can I do for you, today?" She asked. She'd been about to call him Jack but even if she didn't need to refer to him as Commander...it still felt odd not doing so.

"I can to see how you're doing in your new role. You seemed a little preocupied during the meeting this morning."

Ah yes, her first official meeting with The their section leaders. She'd been one of three leading Overwatch Medical staff. The other two were well versed in how things worked and seemed almost resentful of her even being there. Truthfully, she understood completely. She was a child compared to them. They had all spent more time working towards their position, even their PHDs. For her, it had just...come easily. Being so young though, she imagined her having the same level of command as they did was something that played off as favoritism. She hoped that wasn't the case but part of her thought that it likely was. During the meeting, she stayed quiet and took some notes just to keep herself up to date on what needed to be done or looked into. No one asked her questions or reallly even spoke to her but for now, that was perfectly fine.

"Oh I apologize if I was too quiet. I was just observing, seeing how things are done in such meetings." She explained, hoping that would be a good enough answer.

Jack nodded and looked around at all the books she'd brought in to line the shelves.

"I've seen you do that a lot. The look on your face was different. Are you upset that we moved you out of Blackwatch?" He asked, making her heart sink a little. "I know it was a sudden decision and I'm sure it wasn't easy for Reyes to transfer you but I hope you know that this was the right decision and as far as putting you here...Reyes has wanted to promote you for a while. He always thought you needed this to progress your research." He added with a smile.

However, the blonde did not return it.

"He wanted me to work up here? He never mentioned it..." She said softly.

It wasn't a worry about him wanting her off his team or away from him, but more that she worried over his interest in her research. More than once, he'd asked her questions about her tech, about the possibilities for the future. Angela knew what Jack and Gabriel went through in America, the things done to them to make them better soldiers. That only worried her when it seemed like Gabe wanted more. After a few conversation about it, she had shut down his ideas, telling him that she had her ethical bounds. It seems that even though he'd agreed, his words did not meat his beliefs.

"Well you're still pretty young. We both agreed you might need more time before jumping into this role. I doubt he wanted to get you all excited over something that might not happen." Jack explained, picking up a little snowglobe she'd gotten from a gift shop when she'd just arrived here in the city. "But now you're here and can continue the work that got you the Caduceus tech."

Jack was genuinely happy for her, or seemed to be. Maybe she was overreacting about Gabriel. If he'd been too into the idea, surely Jack would have noticed and done something about it.

"Com...Jack, may I ask you something?" She asked hesitantly and crossed her arms as casually as she could over the desk.

"Sure, what is it?"

"If you could go through all those...enhancements...again, to increase your physical abilities, would you do it?"

His expression hardened just a little, blue eyes meeting her matching ones. He seemed to be thinking over his answer, or maybe a way to get out of it.

"No." He said and walked over. The older agent sat down in one of the chairs across from her desk. "When it was done, I thought it was the best thing that could happen. I felt powerful and invincible. Hell I still feel that way sometimes in the thick of a fight. But I'm not. I can run faster, farther. I can aim with the fastest reflexes on the field but...anything more would be too much. I'm here to help people, not conquer the world." He added with a soft, almost strained laugh.

She smiled and joined him.

"Why do you want to know?"

She'd known that was coming.

"Caduceus has many future applications but I don't want to push my morals to suit them." She started, taking a deep breath. "There are things I could do that would have the same effects as what happened to you. I could make our agents stronger and faster but...I don't want to." It was an admittance that she was afraid of making. "People need to just be people. No offense intended to present company, of course. I was just worried that such a thing might eventually be asked of me. If so, I would need to step down now."

Though her heart was pounding, she felt like she'd said exactly what she needed to.

Jack stared at her before he let out a breath and stood up, nearing her desk.

"Angela that's the smartest thing I've heard anyone in this place say." She said with a smile. Instantly her tension released. "Listen to me, alright? I will never make you do anything like that because you're right. People need to hone their skills, to become better naturally. I was young and ready for anything when I agreed to those enhancements. That's not a chance I'm taking on some of these kids. You just work on getting us better ways to stay alive in the field, alright?" And with that said, he extended a hand to her.

She smiled and nodded, standing up to grasp his hand in hers.

"Yes, sir."


	16. Chapter 16

"Why didn't you tell me that you wanted me to continue my research? I thought we talked about this already?"

Angela stood in the living room area of the command living quarters. She chose to remain in her own smaller room off the medical room rather than come here to live. She spent a lot of time here with Gabriel, though. This time was not a happy social visit though. There was worry and hurt barely hidden behind her firm, angry exterior. Her arms were crossed over her chest, blue eyes blazing on him. It was a frightening sight. Yet Gabriel only stared back.

"I want you to better what you already have, to keep going because I know you have it in you." He replied, stretching his arms out along the back of the sofa. "You have the potential to change the game for us, Ang. Imagine soldiers out there, safe from injury because your tech keeps them healed."

She gave him a look that told him she wasn't buying it.

"I know what you want, Gabriel. You want me to enhance your team. We went over this before. Blackwatch will be your elite, once you train them to be. I won't accelerate that unnaturally." She snapped.

He ground his teeth before standing up. He approached her, placing his hands on her small shoulders.

"I don't understand how you can't see the benefits. Our team could go out there and end a threat before it has a chance to hurt anyone. They could save so many more lives!" He said, staring into her eyes. She stared back but didn't flinch or back down.

"Listen to me." She said in a warning tone. "I will never agree to your plans to make a super human army. And neither will Commander Morrison."

Instantly, he let go of her. Anger coursed through him and he didn't want to risk losing control of his grip.

"God damnit, Angela. You went to Jack about this?"

"No! He came to me because he could tell I was upset. I just...I asked him what he thought about it but I never mentioned you. I made it about his enhancements." She said, stepping closer even though he was trying to put space between them. "I hate death and violence, you know that. I want to do everything I can to help all of Overwatch but this is not the way! Too much power is a bad thing, why can't you see that?"

"Why can't you see that having better soldiers means less death?"

"Only for our side!"

"Our side is the only one that matters, damnit!" He said, glaring down at her.

For the first time, he saw her flinch. There was fear in her eyes as she took a step back. The pair remained still for a moment, staring at one another. Angela frowned, wetness coming to her ocean blues. Suddenly Gabe realized he'd been shouting at her. His words still hung in the air as he leaned back. Their eye contact ended as he looked away. He rubbed his temples and took a deep breath. This was not the person he should be yelling at, especially over this. He wanted her to understand, not defy him out of spite. That was the route he was headed if he didn't fix this.

"I'm sorry." He said and walked around the space slowly. "I just...I just want you to understand. You're the smartest woman...the smartest person I know. You could make such a difference and you just won't do it."

As he spoke, the blonde was still. She just seemed to be thinking, her eyes cast down.

"It's not the right way. With all the resources and influence Overwatch has, we must be cautious. If we go too far, the world will not tolerate it. Things have to be done right, not just for that reason but for our moral and ethics. Without them, we are nothing. Without them, I am not a doctor. I'd be playing god in a way that is unacceptable."

"Every time you save a life, you're playing god. What is the difference?"

"I prolong life, I do not change it. I know that it's hypocritical to make these distinctions but that's how I see it, Gabriel. I would save the enemy as fast as I'd save an friend. People are all the same. If I make you all stronger, there is no balance. Isn't the world unbalanced enough?"

"What about the other soldiers like Jack and I?" He asked, glaring at her from across the room now. "We shift the balance. What should be done about us?" Yes, his words were bitter but he couldn't help himself.

She frowned deeper and shook her head.

"I can't change the past. I would never have done that to anyone but it happened. We can't change that now. The most we can do is look forward." She said and started towards the door. "I won't argue this any longer. Either you understand how I feel and accept my decision, or you do not."

He remained in place, watching the door shut behind her.

"If you won't do this, I'll find someone who will."


	17. Chapter 17

Shots rang out, echoing one after another. Along with them were angry mutters that could only be heard between the ringing blasts. Jesse slowly walked into the shooting range. He didn't bother with the ear protection. If his hearing wasn't damaged by now, he felt pretty confident he'd be alright. His weapon rested at his side, just a reason to come down here. Really, he was looking for the woman who was angrily firing off shots towards the targets yards away.

Approaching slowly, he waited until she lowered her gun and started to reload before touching her shoulder. Angela turned her head with a look that made him pull back quickly. However, it seemed it was not him that the look was meant for. As soon as she saw him, her features softened. Immediately, his mind moved to Reyes, who had removed her from the team. Maybe it was him that she expected and at him her mean glare had been aimed. Either way, he was just glad it wasn't him on the receiving end of whatever anger she was carrying around.

"Whoa there, what's got your tail in a knot, sugar?" He asked, laughing lightly while hoping to avoid her wrath.

Angela took her ear protection off and set them down.

"Sorry, Jesse. I've just had a long few days and...I guess I expected someone else."

"You don't have to explain it to me as long as it's not about me." He said, holding up a pacifying hand between them. "Unless you wanna, that is. I just thought I'd come down and see ya. I didn't realize you'd been moved out."

The sour look returned to her face for just a moment before she relaxed yet again.

"It was for the best." She said and turned, clearly seeing his look of doubt. "Really! It was just too complicated because...of my relationship with Gabriel. But I've been promoted so I can hardly complain."

"Seems like ya want to."

"It's not that I'm not grateful for it, I just liked what I was already doing. I've spent my life in classrooms, hospitals, and labs. Being out in the field where the action is was terrifying and exciting. It made me feel useful in a way that I never have before. And now it's over...after one real mission."

Jesse frowned and looked down the range at her wildly sporadic shots.

"Life ain't fair and I can't fix that for ya. But maybe if you're a better shot, you'll get a chance to head back out." He said with a laugh, trying to lighten her mood.

Really, he didn't feel like it was his place to start talking about her problems with Reyes. Her removal from Blackwatch was because of a relationship and that was between the two of them. Of course, he'd be happy to listen to her but any advice he could give might be compromised by his feelings towards her. Feelings he really should not have in the first place but could not help. Angela took her eyes from him, moving to where she'd been shooting. The serious and slightly sad look on her face changed to one of mild irritation.

"I'm a pacifist." She replied, as if that were the answer to his point. "If I had it my way, I'd never have to land a shot because I wouldn't have to fire one."

"Yeah well that ain't the kind'a world we live in, now is it?" He asked, pulling his weapon from the holster at his hip.

Holding it out, he fired once, sending the shot straight down the range and into the center of the target's head. The next shots punched holes through the eyes, the heart and both shoulders. Then he stopped to reload. Angela just glared at the target before turning her gaze towards him.

"Alright showoff, are you going to teach me how you do that?" She asked, hands coming up to sit on her hips. He laughed at the sight.

"First lesson, stop closing one eye. You're losin' your depth, pum'kin."

Angela huffed and turned around. She didn't bother with her head gear as she lifted her weapon with both hands. Stepping closer, he adjusted her grip and made her put one of her hands down. After changing her stance a little, she took aim.

"Take a deep breath and let it out as you squeeze the trigger. No pulling, just ease your finger down." He said close behind her.

After a long few seconds, she fired. The shot hit the target right in the throat. It was her first shot that actually hit inside the target body.

"Oh! Look!" She said, grinning. Once she realized what she was doing, she clammed up. "I mean, that was better." She added in a calmer tone.

Jesse just laughed.

"It's alright to be happy with yourself. Ya did good. Now let's keep workin' on it. You'll have everyone impressed when I'm done with ya."

Angela smiled at him and nodded before turning back to the range. When she fired again, the shot clipped the shoulder but just barely. She seemed discouraged by her immediate decline and started firing off one round after the next. Her shots went wild and nothing more was accomplished. He sighed, standing behind her with his arms crossed. Once she stopped to change out the clip, her blue eyes shifted back to him. There was red in her cheeks. Clearly she knew she'd overdone it a little but he didn't plan on picking on her too much. At least, not now.

"I'll tell you somethin' that I was told as a boy learning to shoot." He said as he came up to her. "When you unholster your weapon, you ain't doing it for show. If you pull it, you better be ready to use it." He explained. Moving behind her, he lifted her arm again and set up her stance. He kept his fingers under her wrist, holding up the weight that threatened to lower her aim. Her gun was light, probably a hard plastic rather than real metal. "When you aim, aim to save your own life. Only fire to end a life." He said softly. Angela faced forward, her eyes on the target. "Guns are not toys. You're a soldier and when you have to use it, make damn sure you're ready to kill whatever's at the other end."

As he finished speaking, she fired again. This time the bullet hit the head, just above the right eye. She fired again, hitting the head once more. He smiled, slowly letting his hand slip away from her wrist. She kept her aim on her own, hitting the head over and over, only missing once and even that was fairly close. When the clip ran dry, she set the gun down quickly and spun around in excitement. However, she'd not given him enough time to move back and suddenly Jesse found himself face to face with the blonde in close proximity. His hands hovered just above her hips, not daring to touch without permission. He didn't know how she felt but for him, it was like time slowed to a crawl. The only thing happening fast was the beating of his heart. It had to be slamming loud enough against his chest for her to hear.

"I can't."

Her words were hushed but firm in their message. Her blue eyes darted down for a moment before she met his gaze once more. There was a pleading in them that he wouldn't ignore. Though he was an outlaw, he wasn't a monster. If the answer was no, then he knew his place. The Cowboy nodded and smiled. He took a healthy step back and tucked his thumbs into his belt. She looked flushed and unsettled but also relieved.

"You keep practicing, alright darlin'?" He said, trying his best to assure her that everything was fine.

"Thank you, Jesse." She replied, looking down before turning back to her gun.


	18. Chapter 18

In his young life, Jesse had done a lot of very stupid things. There were times he embarrassed himself or went too far. But even so, he liked to think he learned from those times and grew into a better man. Sure, he was only 17 but with the life he'd lived, that was well old enough to be a man. City kids had no idea what the real world was like. If he had to guess though, he'd imagine that the mess he just made with Angela was one that anyone could relate to. He'd screwed up and gotten too close. His feelings had been exposed through nothing more than a few seconds of body language. Now what was he going to do?

Sitting on his bunk, the gunman rolled a cigar between his palms. He was pretty happy the way things were. His hidden but growing feelings for Angela were between him and the maker. That was just fine. Jesse was no home wrecker and he would have never made a single move on the doctor, knowing that she was with someone else. It sure as hell didn't help that the person she was with was a man he looked up to and respected. It felt shameful just to think that way about her, like he was wronging his friend. Now though, Angela knew. There was no way she didn't. And what if she told Reyes about the shooting range? He'd be booted outta this place faster than a shot could fire.

"Why so down, my friend?"

Jesse looked up, seeing the house of a man before him. Reinhardt, that was his name.

"Nothin' to worry about. I just need some sleep." He said, waving it off and setting the cigar behind him on the bed.

"Now now, mental health is important, you know." He said as he came in. Reinhardt grabbed a chair, dragging it over and sitting in front of the younger man. "We can't have our new recruits falling apart on us, now can we?"

Jesse couldn't help but smile. This man was so upbeat. Everything about him was positive. The very tone of his voice seemed to be enough to push dark clouds away from one's mood. He often wanted to share his concerns and things with someone else but growing up, that sort of thing was frowned upon. Deadlock's were encouraged to bury everything and only be the hardest and most dangerous people around. Overwatch was so different and a lot recently, he needed to remind himself of that. This wasn't the gang, this was something good. These were good people who wanted to help the world, not just benefit from the struggles within it.

"It's a woman, isn't it?" Reinhardt asked, grinning.

"Yeah, it's a woman." He replied, unable to deny that part. "I should'a kept to myself and not gotten close. But I guess I couldn't help myself." He admitted.

The larger man shook his head.

"My boy, love makes us do things that make no sense. It is painful and sometimes make you think you are being torn apart. But let me tell you, it is worth it. Even if you don't get what you want, it is always worth it." He said, his one good eye shining with memories Jesse could never know. "If this woman does not see you, make yourself worth seeing."

The last words caught him slightly off guard. He looked up at the other, retracing his words. They were so profound, it touched him. But that wasn't going to matter, anyway. He wasn't about to go out and start trying to impress the doctor. She belonged to another and it would be wrong to do so. So his head fell again, shaking from side to side.

"It ain't that simple, boss." Jesse replied. "Her heart ain't mine to go tryin' to impress. He's my friend and I won't go stomping around in his garden."

Reinhardt nodded, his gaze cast down.

"I see. Then you are a good lad. So many young people do not know such respect. Your heart may hurt now, my friend. But someday, this will be a good memory to look back on."

It was hard to imagine that this would ever be something he could look back on happily. Somehow though, everything said by the older man did help. It made him feel a little better. That would probably change the next time he saw Angela or Gabriel but until then, he'd take what he could get. Smiling a little brighter, Jesse looked up at the other's shining gaze. Reinhardt was just smiling at him, with his bearded cheeks lifted and tinted in red. This guy would make a good Santa for one of those old movies he'd seen on TV. When it seemed the conversation had run its course, the larger man stood and placed a relatively gentle hand upon his shoulder.

"Things have a way of working themselves out." He said and turned to leave.

Jesse watched him, his shoulders feeling lighter. Figuratively and literally.

"Ever get one of those really bad feelings down in your gut? The kind that make you feel sick but also tense, like you're ready for an attack?"

Ana stared at Jack, her gaze flat but with the hint of concern.

"I know that feeling well. What brought this on?"

The blonde shook his head as he stared up at one of the many screens before them. Most of the staff were gone for the evening. The Commander and his Captain sat alone in the dark control room. The only light that cast over them were the dozen's of screens. Some were security cameras for the building they were in, others showed various places throughout the world. This was their eyes, letting them prepare for anything that might happen on their watch. Jack sat in a chair, his armor and coat set aside for now. Ana was to his side, in the same state. She had a clipboard in her hand, which she'd been tapping a pen against for the last twenty minutes.

"It's Reyes. I feel like something's wrong. He pushed Angela out of Blackwatch, which wasn't really a bad thing. But he's been really hard on her lately and looking for permission to bring in a bigger research team. He says it's for medical uses only but...I know better."

She nodded, her gaze at the board on her lap.

"He tried to pitch that to be as well. He said he doesn't want to see anyone else die but there was this look on his face. It was like he was straining. We both know how much more he wants from his team. I worry he's extending past his reach."

"More than once he's come down on Angela about her research. What she's created is brilliant and game changing but sometimes, you shouldn't bend the rules even if you can. She knows that. It's why I wanted her in Overwatch. The girl has real moral value. We don't have enough of that around here these days." He said, his voice softer and almost sad. "She won't do more than we need. I should have known what happened with Jesse McCree out there would get Reyes started on this crap again. He wants that boost tech."

"If we're being honest, I do too." She admitted. "I want to have the power to give my soldiers that extra edge. But I know where to draw the line. I don't want an army of super soldiers out there running down the rest of the world...no offense, Jack." She added, flashing a grin towards him.

"He believe me, the last thing the world needs is more guys like us." He returned with a laugh.

"So what do we do?" She asked, sobering up the moment some.

Jack just shook his head at first. He wanted to believe that Gabriel's heart was in the right place. He wanted to believe that his friend really did only want to save lives. But somewhere not so deep down, he knew better. Reyes liked to fight and honestly, he seemed to like to kill. It was less about saving their people and more about killing the enemy. Angela's technology had the potential to turn Overwatch into a true and dangerous private military, comprised of super strong soldiers. As easy as it would make their job, it was wrong. They needed to just be people. As strong, smart, or skilled as they were, it was all naturally born. At least, in most cases. There were still those that were altered or special in some unnatural way. But for most of them, that was not chosen. It was forced on them and they chose to use their abilities for good. If they powered up a whole team with her boost tech...there was no promise those men and women would remain on the side of justice. It wasn't worth the risk it presented.

"We shut him down." Jack said with a sigh. "We have a meeting and we tell Reyes that it's not going to happen. There will be no more discussion about Angela's research into the enhancements. If he doesn't like it...then I guess we ask him to step down."

She stared at him, her lips pressed into a thin line.

"Alright. It's for the best. I'm sure everyone will agree." She said, looking back to the wall of screens. "I just hope Gabriel can accept that."

"I don't know if he can."


	19. Chapter 19

"You have no idea what you're talking about!"

Gabriel's voice rang out into the open space, his fist slammed down onto the table.

"The only god damn reason Jesse and Angela made it out of there alive was because of her boost tech. She gave him the power to stand against these damn bots and save them. We're just human. Those robots are too strong. If this turns into a full blown war, they are going to over power us. We need to do more to even the odds!" He continued, his less threatening but still loud and agitated.

"I'm not saying your wrong but you're only focusing on this one possible crisis." Jack tried to counter, but his words were cut off by a much louder voice.

"This is war. You think it is just starting but you are wrong. You have not seen all these monsters can do." Reinhardt said sadly. "I do not think we need these...enhancements. But we should all see this for what it is. We can improve in other ways."

Gabriel rubbed his temples.

"What? By building bigger suits of armor?"

The two men glared at one another until Jack smacked the table and drew their attention to him.

"Listen, we're not here to discuss the omnic threat. At least, not right now. What we're here to discuss is Angela's research. She has said, herself, that she does not want to pursue this. She doesn't think it's safe and claims she is morally obligated to decline even if we asked her to continue. If she isn't going to do it, then it doesn't matter. My point here today is, I want the topic closed. Reyes...it can't continue." He explained with a frown towards his friend. His gaze was met with a darker one.

"We're going out there every day and risking our lives to keep the world safe. Half the damn world doesn't even want or appreciate what we do. I don't care who thinks it's wrong to power up our people out there. All I want is for them to win the fight and be able to come back home. Part of my team would have died on their first mission out if not for her tech. And she refuses to give it to anyone else? Only she can control power? Life and death? Are you kidding me? If she released that tech to us fully, we could use those staffs on every team. We could revive the dead and make sure their kids get to see them home again!"

The room was silent, everyone looking at each other.

"Revive the dead?" Ana asked, her face concerned.

"She told me once that her healing nano...whatever they are...that they could potentially revive someone who was recently killed, like within the first minute of their death or something. But that's all I know." Gabriel explained.

Jack sat back in his chair. This was something he didn't know. Could Angela revive their fallen soldiers? Were there side effects...No, he shut that down for now. What she had already accomplished, she did not want to wide distribute. She feared her tech might fall into the wrong hands. They had all understood her point and allowed her to keep her work for the time being. If there was a way to safe guard it, they would revisit. Gabriel was the only one to have a problem with it. He shook his head.

"I've already talked to Angela about working on a safeguard for her work so that we can distribute to our teams. We all know that, it's been handled. I realize the good it could do but you don't realize the bad. Dr. Ziegler has done so much for us already. If she walks because you won't back off, we're gonna have a lot of problems on our hands." He said her title, reminding his friend that Angela was not just his girlfriend, she was a doctor and a very important part of Overwatch. "This matter is closed."

Reyes glared at him before he stood up.

"Fine." He hissed and turned, walking of the room and leaving the rest of them to watch him go.

"I hope we've made the right decision here." Ana said quietly.

Jack only nodded. He hoped they had too.

Gabe slammed the door as he entered the common area. He was furious. Furious because he'd been completely disregarded. The other so called leaders didn't care who lived or died as long as they had the moral high ground. It was disappointing and infuriating. If Angela had just agreed with him, it would have changed everything. They wouldn't be against this. If their perfect little blonde doctor was on board, they'd be lining up to work on that research. Every single overwatch team would have someone like her among them. Why could none of them see how beneficial that would be to their organization as a whole? It wasn't right? What did that even mean. Any tech invented was threatened by the opposing side. If they always worried about that, nothing would have ever progressed to the point they were at now. He felt like the only sane man in the asylum.

Angrily, he kicked over the coffee table as he made his way to his own quarters. He sat down and pulled his cap off, tossing it aside to run his fingers through his hair. It felt like each day, things became more strained. How had he and Jack become so against one another? The thought saddened him some. On his desk, a framed photo was set. It was of himself and the other founders of Overwatch. He and Jack were side by side. It hadn't been long but it seemed like so long ago that they were like that. His face was hopeful, thrilled to be doing something of his own. He was no longer a soldier being ordered around. Or so he thought. It seemed things had shifted and instead of being a leader, he was just another one of the recruits that were being ordered around this place. Whenever he stood up for something that he thought important, he was cast down. When did things change like that?

He sighed and laid back. Maybe there was something else he could. There had to be a way to prove that he was right. Staring at the ceiling, Gabriel went over possible options in his head. Angela was as stubborn as he was. There was no way she was going to give in let him have his way. He couldn't steal her research because even if he did, what would he even do with it? He was no scientist and without her, none of the other people here would know what to do to progress it. Her tech was so ahead, she was the only one that could work with it. He groaned and rubbed at his bridge. It wasn't like she was the most intelligent person in the world. Maybe at Overwatch. Somewhere in the world, there had to be someone else...he just needed to find them.


	20. Chapter 20

**_(Author's Note! :: So, we've made it to 20 chapters! This story has taken me a while to work on but I'm so happy that more and more people seem to be picking it up and enjoying it. I go back every now and then and cringe at certain things I've done or didn't do. But honestly, I'm just so pleased with how it has turned out thus far. I've seen a lot of anticipation for Moira both on here and on ArchiveOfOurOwn but it's still early for that. But don't worry, the anti-Mercy will show up eventually. :: Please note that for some reason, the site keeps clearing my POV transitions. I didn't notice until just recently that there is no space or sign that it is changing from one character's POV to the next. I'm working on that. Sorry if it was confusing at any point!_** **_:: And lastly, this chapter is 100% NSFW. If you're not into sex scenes or acts that might be seen as abusive, go ahead and skip this one. Future chapters will expose what happened in this one without the graphic details. If you are into it, enjoy! :: )_**

"Gabriel?"

Angela looked up from her computer. The dim glow did little to provide light in the darkness of the medical bay. It was late, far past lights out. With no current active missions, all the medical staff were allowed to take the night off. They weren't needed. However, the doctor couldn't rest her hectic mind and decided to focus on some work instead. She sat alone at one of the many pure white tables in the bay, her computer and a flickering candle as the only sources of light. The candle wasn't even meant for that purpose, it was just once of those scented ones that she'd hoped would help to relax her. It wasn't doing much, especially with the creaking sound she'd just heard.

Wide blue eyes stared over the top of the screen, seeing nothing but darkness on the other side. She hadn't seen the light from the hall but she was sure she'd heard the sound of a door. Maybe it had been from somewhere beyond, just an echo from elsewhere in the building. After a few more long seconds of staring into nothingness, she turned back to her work. Quick fingers tapped away at the keys, creating a more comforting sound. The mechanical clacking eased her but only slightly.

It was probably all the weight on her mind that was making her jumpy. Ever since her fight with Gabriel, she hadn't felt right. She had more work now, with her promotion. There had been little time to relax or fix things with her so called boyfriend. The blonde sighed at that thought. It was immature to think that way and she quickly stopped herself. Her feelings for her lover had not changed. She was just angry at how he'd acted. It didn't mean that there was any love lost. At least, not on her end. Slender fingers stalled over the keys, hovering there. He hadn't spoken to her since then. Maybe that was his way of breaking it off. Perhaps she'd just been foolish thinking they were both too busy to really talk it all out.

The sad realization made her frown deeply. Now that the thought was in her mind, she wasn't going to be able to shake it. Perhaps she'd just go talk to him and get it out of the way. Even if it ended badly, at least it would be over and they could both move on. Deciding this was her best course, Angela shut the computer, plunging her into further darkness. The candle was still flickering away, casing a little glowing circle below it on the desk. She considered picking it up but it wasn't needed. She knew this bay like the back of her hand and could easily navigate it in the dark. It wouldn't have been the first time. With a little puff of breath, the light was extinguished and she moved around the table to head towards the door.

Halfway across the open floor, she thought she heard something. The blonde turned back and looked towards the desk. It didn't matter, as nothing could be seen anyway. With no windows, the Medical pay was pitch black with the lights off. It was entirely devoid of light. She swallowed hard and slowly turned around. When she did, someone grabbed her. A hand covered her mouth while another encircled her waist. She instantly went into defense and tried to think of what she needed to do to escape. However, a voice spoke against her ear, instantly stopping her panic but not her frantically beating heart.

"It's me." The rough tone said and then the hand released her mouth.

"Jesus, Gabriel!" She snapped, head dropping back against his chest. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!"

He chuckled, still right by her ear. It sent a chill down her spine.

"I was trying to scare you. I guess it worked." He purred. He sounded strange.

"Yes it worked! No one should be that silent!"

"I'm leader of our stealth faction, remember?" He teased.

Angela still felt like something was wrong. She tried to turn around but his arm remained firmly around her middle, keeping her in place. His chest was flush against her back. There was no wiggle room. Frowning, she placed her hand down on his arm to try and move it but Gabriel seemed to be making damn sure that she could not change her position. The uneasy feeling only grew but she maintained her calm on the outside. The last thing she wanted was another fight. He might have been acting odd but at least he didn't seem angry or looking to argue anymore.

"Gabriel..?" She started but her words died out when she felt his mouth move down against her neck.

"You were right." He started, trailing his lips over her skin. "I should have just left you and your research alone. I just wanted what I thought was best but I was wrong." His words came out low, a purr against her flesh.

"It's okay, I was on my way to come apologize as well..." Her own voice was breathy, caught off guard by his gentle assault. "I know what you wanted but I just...can't. I never wanted to fight about it."

And that was the truth. The last thing she ever wanted was to fight with Gabriel. Truthfully, Angela had never been in a relationship like this one. There had been the occasional boyfriends throughout her education but nothing as serious as this. They'd hit it off almost instantly. Gabriel helped to train her so that she could get into this organization. Intelligence was not enough. They had wanted her in fighting shape, should the need occur. If it had not been for him, she'd never have become part of Overwatch in the first place. Through their constant close training, they'd bonded. She loved his laugh, his real laugh. That was something she had not actually heard in some time. He said he loved her quick wit and how she never backed down from him whether it was playful or serious. Everything about him usually made her knees weak. But this felt different. He didn't feel like that man that usually gave her butterflies when he grabbed her up into his arms. What was going on?

The blonde leaned her head back tried not to think about that. She just thought about him, about how he was apologizing and telling her she had been right. Maybe that was shallow, to be made to feel better by being right. She didn't care, as long as it did away with this creepy feeling that has seized her so entirely. The male's hands were on the move, drawing her attention back out of her own mind. Swallowing hard, she tilted her head, trying and failing to see his face. It was too dark. However, while she could not see, it did not mean that the cameras could not. Angela grabbed his hands with her own, halting his touching for the moment.

"Security." She breathed out, knowing that several digital eyes were on them at all times in the medical bay. "We should go elsewhere."

"I don't care what Jack sees." He mumbled and took a few steps forward, making her do the same. "He could use a little action, himself." He added, laughing.

Before she knew it, Angela felt her legs hit something. It wasn't hard enough to hurt but she found her hands coming down to brace herself. He'd walked her into an exam bed. In the darkness, she hadn't realized exactly where in the room he'd moved her to. How he knew, she wasn't sure. Gabriel always seemed to know where everyone and everything was. Perhaps that's what made him so good at his role in the organization. Spreading her fingers out, she huffed and tried to push back but he was there, a heavy body against her back to keep her from being able to move more than an inch or so.

"We can't do this here. This is the infirmary..." She tried to argue but his hand creeping up, under her shirt, made her freeze. "Gabriel!"

"Shh." He purred and she could hear the amusement in his voice. That always happened when he knew he was pushing her buttons. "It's late. I bet there's no one even in security." He added, as if that might make her feel better.

His dangerous fingers slid up her stomach, finding no trouble pushing her bra up to get beneath it as well. The blonde gasped, her fingers curling into fists against the bed. Cupping her breast, he massaged gently until she couldn't help but to let out a breathy sound. She could almost see the victorious smirk on his smug face. Reaching up, she tried to grab his wrist to stop him but he immediately countered with his other hand taking a firm hold on her hip. Gabriel pulled her back, her body forced right up against his. He still had his belt and pants in place but she could feel his erection pressing against them, and very much against her. Was he really going to try and do this right here? They'd be displayed on a monitor somewhere in security and the entire thing would be recorded to their archives. Morrison wasn't going to let this slide. They'd both get in trouble, maybe removed. Was it worth it to him?

"Please...can't we just go to your quarters? Somewhere private?" She asked, trying to remain calm. It was becoming more and more difficult as he refused to let her have a single moment to catch her breath.

"You don't think this is exciting?" He asked, sliding his hand from her hip, up along her back. The hand that was on her chest moved, reaching up to pull the tie out of her hair. "We can't always follow all the rules, Angie."

She swallowed hard, her blonde curls falling around her face. The hand on her back pushed down and she found herself bent entirely over the bed, now. In any other place, this would be exciting. She'd have played back and gone along with this little game of his. Here, though, she did not feel the same way. Sure, her body might be reacting, but her mind was pushing back. The doctor knew this was the wrong place to do this, she knew that she should be protesting more...yet she was not. Why didn't she just stand herself up and push him away, or take his hand and drag him somewhere more private? Was it because she knew that she couldn't fight him if he was serious about this? They'd play fought here and there over the course of their relationship. There were a few times that Gabriel got a little too intense and made her feel helpless. She'd never said anything though. Out of fear? Out of embarrassment? She did not know. How could he know that she was uncomfortable if she never told him?

Reaching forward, she curled her fingers around the edge of the bed, her face falling down against the surface. His hands had worked themselves around her waist, undoing her pants in a haste now that hadn't been there before. With eyes shut tight, she didn't say anything or fight back. Her pants were jerked down, a tangle around her knees that kept her from moving now even if she'd really wanted to try and step away. His body pushed down over hers and she felt his lips against her shoulder, moving from one side to the other. The gesture was sweet but she didn't feel it like she would have any other time. Her body trembled, which he probably took for a good thing because he reached between her legs, looking to find further evidence of her enjoyment. And he found it, because her natural reactions didn't know any better.

Soon, his fingers were pushing against her, rubbing a gentle rhythm that had her body moving. Angela bit down hard on her lip as her hips instinctively pushed towards his hand. Sometimes she hated herself for being so easy with him. He kept working his digits, grinding himself against her from behind all the while. Little sounds escaped her lips, whimpers that might have been pleasure. She was sure that her knuckles must have been bone white from how hard she was clinging to the bed. She tried not to imagine anyone watching them, praying that at least the security center was empty. Even if someone saw later, it made her feel better to image she was not being gawked at by her fellow agents. That intensified when he pushed two fingers inside her warm, bringing a full moan from the blonde's mouth. Angela cursed herself internally for being so weak. She couldn't help it though. He always knew exactly where to hit to make her buckle.

Slick digits thrust into her, pressing in at the angel that always made her tremble. Angela tried and failed to bite back her sounds of pleasure. Her traitorous body wasn't going to stay quiet anymore. Just the feeling he was giving her, coupled with his very obvious arousal pressing her into the frame of the bed, it was too much to fight back again. Even so, she wasn't going to just let this go. Her hips might have been happy to push back into his wanting but Angela promised herself that she'd lay into him later about this stunt. They needed to talk about boundaries and about him stopping when she wanted him to. But had she actually told him to stop? In her increasing haze, she couldn't remember. Could she be mad if she'd never actually said the words?

Gabriel suddenly pulled his hand back, feeling her feeling needier than she'd ever admit. The sound of cloth and metal was heard, him jerking his belt open in a hasty fashion. They'd had more than enough spontaneous sessions for her to know that was what he was doing. His hand came down on her lower back, a brace for what was coming next. She could say no right now. She could push back and tell him that she wasn't going this here. That was what she should have done. Yet there she laid, silent aside from her heavy breathing. Why the hell could she not just say what she was thinking? She loved this man, he wouldn't do anything she didn't want him to do, right?

Before her thoughts could carry her any deeper into that pit, he was there. She could feel the pressure of him sliding between her legs. The blonde bit her tongue so hard, she tasted copper. Even though the situation felt like a rough and almost scary one, Gabriel really had never hurt her and clearly wasn't going to this time. He eased himself in, finding it easy from how worked up he'd gotten her already. The head of his cock worked back and forth into her wetness until he was able to slid all the way inside. She moaned, unable to help herself as the full feeling overwhelmed her. He held there, hands now holding firmly against her hips. The only sound in the room was their joint panting.

When he started moving, she could do little more than take it. Being bent over with her knees trapped, there wasn't much she could do. She couldn't do anything back to him or turn around to even try and catch his attention with a kiss. His fingers dug into her hips, pulling her back as he started to thrust himself into her warmth again and again. There was no more teasing, no more playing games to get her on his side. Obviously he wanted this to be quick and she was fine with that. The faster this was over and she could get away from those cameras, the better. Angela kept her eyes shut tight and her sounds as quiet as she possibly could. Those cameras had audio. Gabriel clearly did not feel the same way.

From behind, she could hear his heavy breathing, laced with the occasional moan as he buried himself inside her He was making no attempt to quiet himself. If anyone was outside the bay, they'd hear him, no doubt. She was glad it was so late at night. Hopefully there was no one roaming that might overhear this fiasco. One of his hands released her hip, sliding up her back until she felt his fingers close over her shoulder. She hoped he wasn't going to try and pull her up against his chest. With her legs tangled, she was not going to be able to support herself and it was going to get much more embarrassing than it already was. Thankfully, he just held his hand there, his grip so tight that it was almost painful. With every rough thrust he forced into her, it started to become just that. The pressure on her collar bone was increasing until she thought he'd snap right through her bone.

"An-gie..." He groaned, his tone heated.

They'd had sex in different ways, sometimes rough, sometimes slow. This was rougher than he'd ever been with her. He thrust into her harder and harder, his cock hitting her walls so hard that she winced each time. It hurt, it actually hurt. Her fingers ached from the hold on the bed frame. She wanted to beg him to stop, to tell him that he was tearing her apart but again, she remained silent. Her voice worked, as she couldn't stop confusing sounds from escaping, but it just didn't want to do what her mind was telling it. He released her shoulder and caught her hips again, using them to pull her back into deeper thrusts that actually made her cry out. Gabriel must have confused them for sounds of pleasure because he increased his pace. She kept calling out, unable to stop herself until his pace started to stutter. She prayed that he was close to finishing so it would be over.

And she got her wish.

Gabriel moaned out her name, his hips stuttering and slowing until she finally stopped moving. He was breathing hard, his chest now collapsed against her back. His breathing was so close, right against her ear. The blonde remained silent, her breathing being the only sound that she dared to let escape her lips. After a few seconds that felt so much longer, he pulled away. She heard the sound of him pulling his pants back into place, his belt being fastened. When he leaned over to press a kiss against her back, she flinched. Luckily, it seemed that he did not notice. When he was away again, she brought shaking hands down to pull her pants back up. She was a mess and would have to clean up. She needed to get to a shower where she could clean up.

"Angela." His voice made her jump.

"Y-yes?"

"Are you okay? Cameras make you quiet?" He asked, a laugh coming after. He had no idea.

"Oh-oh yes. I...I'm just a little embarrassed. I'm sure we'll hear about this tomorrow." She said, trying to force a laugh but hoping it didn't sound that way. "You go out first, so no one sees us leave together."

He kissed her shoulder before she could hear his footsteps leading away. It wasn't until she saw the light of the door opening and his form vanishing outside that she let out a shaking breath. There were tears on her cheeks, her eyes burning from trying to hold them back. She had to hold herself together. There was no way she'd have her sex life displayed on camera and then a break down. A woman could only take so much. The last thing she needed was to have to answer questions about that tomorrow. It would be bad enough if Jack were to call them both out on this...which was probably going to happen no matter what.

The blonde ran her fingers through her hair, trying to calm it as much as she could. She fixed her pants and shirt back into place and walked towards the doors. The light from the hall was so bright, it nearly blinded her. She had to quickly wipe under her eyes as she rushed down the hall. Rounding the corner to the private quarters, she saw Gabriel down at the other end. He didn't go into his room, though. He was heading towards the training area, from the looks of it. She said a silent thank you before darting into his rooms. The blonde wasted no time. She went straight into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. Angela avoided her own reflection in the mirror as she started the shower. All she wanted to do was clean herself up and go to bed. Maybe she could say she was sick and not have to come out at all tomorrow. Though she was most worried about what Jack would say, she could not shake the feeling that had gripped her from the moment Gabriel got rough with her. Her abdomen ached, pain still there from his treatment of her body. Over and over, she reminded herself that she didn't open her mouth.

He wasn't bad for what he'd done. It was her fault for not telling him that it hurt. Stripping off her clothing, she piled them up on the floor and got into the shower. The heat of the water made her body feel better but it did nothing for the emotional turmoil she'd just forced on herself. Cupping her face with still shaking hands, Angela could not stop the sob that broke through. As strong as she liked to think herself, she could not stop the flood of tears that ran with the water. Tomorrow she would tell Gabriel how she felt. She would express her pain to him so that next time, he knew. She would make sure that this didn't happen to her again. He loved her, he had said it many times. He'd promised to never hurt her. Once she told him, everything would be okay. That's what she told herself.


	21. Chapter 21

"You aim like you have six shots to get it right."

Jesse turned around and looked at Reyes. His chest lifted and fell quickly, worn slightly from the excerises he'd been doing for the last hour and a half. Over and over, he'd been ordered to jump, run, roll, any every other form of movement, all while shooting at targets that sprang up at random throughout the fake townscape. Most of them, he managed to hit. Of course, not all. The gun in his hand wasn't his peace maker. It was a revolver with false energy shots. The weapon was made with the same weight and kick as his but without the live rounds. It was easy to practice with, or so he thought.

"What do you mean? I do have six shots." Jesse snapped, his voice not breathless but showing signs of his efforts.

"When you shoot, you should be able to take out the target in the first shot. Because you're using a revolver, you have limited shots before you have to reload. That can put you at a disadvantage if you let it. If you hit your mark in the first attempt, that saves you from having to reload as often." He explained his tone very matter of fact.

"Says the man that uses shot guns."

Reyes walked up and snatched the gun from his hand. He checked it before walking into the training field. Snapping his fingers, he signaled for the simulation to begin. Rolling his eyes, Jesse took a few steps back. He'd only ever seen this man use his massive combat shotguns to do anything. They had a wide spray and made it pretty damn easy to hit what he was aiming at. This should be good.

When the buzzer went off, targets started to spring up. The were in the vague shapes of humans and bots alike, popping out from windows and from around corners. When a target was hit at the center, a clanging noise sounded. One after another, clangs rang through the air. Reyes ran down the fake road. His boots slammed onto the hood of a car as he jumped on it and used the momentum to jump and roll onto a low porch top. His arms were everywhere. It was like has shooting with six arms instead of two. When he reloaded it, it was incredibly fast, faster than Jesse could do it with all his years using a revolver.

By the time it was over, the younger male was left standing with his mouth hanging open. Every single target was a dead center hit, not one missed. A board across the room displayed number of targets hit, whether they were clips or dead shots, number of civilians accidentally hit, etc. His score was perfect. The young cowboy couldn't believe it. The guy just used shotguns! Why the hell wasn't he a sniper or something? Wouldn't he be so much more effective if he were? Shaking himself back into reality, he closed his mouth. Reyes rechecked the weapon as he approached and held it out, grip first. Hesitantly, he took it and stared down. Yup, he knew when he'd been shown up. He was man enough to admit that he'd been wrong and kept his mouth shut about it.

"A weapon is nothing without the person using it. Because a master of them all and you'll never be at a disadvantage." He said and clapped a hand on the other's shoulder. "Keep practicing."

The leader headed off towards the showers, leaving him alone in the fake town. Jesse looked up at his scores again, blown away. Really, it wasn't like he knew much about Gabriel Reyes. He'd been a soldier once, that was about it. What kind of soldier, for how long, etc. Those thoughts crossed his mind, making him curious. Perhaps he'd ask the old man about it. He'd learned that some people didn't like talking about their military service but since he was basically still doing that, it might not hurt to ask him and see what he said. Until then, he'd be working his ass off on his am. That show was impressive and it lit a fire in him to be just as good, no, to be better. He wanted to out aim the hell out of that guy. What cowboy got shown up by a shot gunner?

He'd have dead eye aim in no time. That was a promise.

After practicing a little bit longer, Jesse decided to call it a day. He wanted to get showered up and make it to the dining hall for dinner and he was running out of time. Locking the weapon away, he headed for the locker room. As he approached, his steps slowed. There was something going on inside. Carefully, he moved towards the opening, leaning against the wall there. There were voices inside, one sounded very angry. At first, he could not place who it was but after a moment, he realized it was Commander Morrison. He wasn't yelling but it was damn close. Something had him worked all the way up. Then he heard Reyes. He sounded much calmer but still...off. He sounded like there was something behind his words, an anger that was much darker than the other mans's. Sure, he probably shouldn't have been listening in but he was concerned. If the started hearing the sounds of a physical fight, he'd have to jump in and stop them, right?

"What the hell is the excuse then, Gabe. Tell me?" Morrison snapped, his words echoing slightly in the open space.

"I don't have to explain my personal life to you. You're not in charge of that. As much as you want to control everything here, Commander." His reply was sarcastic and dark.

"God damnit, this is serious!"

"Did she go to you and file a complaint?"

"No, she didn't but we both know she wouldn't. What the hell has gotten into you? You would never hurt..."

"I didn't hurt anyone."

Jesse narrowed his eyes. What were they talking about? Or rather, who?

"I saw the footage. Angela didn't want any part of it and you forced her. Were you drunk?"

"She didn't tell me no, she didn't tell me to stop."

"Jesus...do you want to come watch it because that's not what I saw."

There was a silence. He leaned slightly around the wall to look in. He couldn't see them so they must have been further in the room. What were they talking about? He never should have listened in because now it was driving him nuts. What had Reyes done to Angela that had the commander in such an uproar? Whatever it was, there was a recording of it. Maybe it was something dangerous. Some kind of new technique or research thing. The whole place knew now that they'd been fighting over that. Research could be a powerful and dangerous thing if it was used wrong. Maybe that was what all this was about.

"If you ever put your hands on her like that again and I see it or find out about it, I won't show up wanting to talk about it, Reyes. I'll make sure you never do it again. She won't have a chance to deny anything." Morrison said, his voice sharp as steel.

Hearing heavy foot steps, Jesse quickly moved. He ducked in behind the weapons rack and waited. A few seconds later, the commander came out. He left the lockers and went straight out of the training area, the door slamming behind him. He didn't hear Reyes coming so he calmed himself and strolled into the room. Going to his own locker, he spotted his boss at his. He was pulling some things out. He looked mostly normal but there was a strain to his jaw that gave away the fight that had just been had. Some things just couldn't be hidden.

"What's gotten into the commander? He stormed outta here like he lost a bad game a'cards." Jesse said casually and glanced over again.

"Mission issues." He said simply, clearly offering up nothing more.

"Gotcha." Sometimes it was best not to push.


	22. Chapter 22

When Jesse arrived for dinner, a bulk of the usual crowd was already gone. There were a few people straggling behind just as he was. Taking a tray of whatever he could find, he moved to sit down, only to pause. A few tables away, Angela was sitting. He'd thought for sure that she would be gone by the time he arrived since she was always such an early bird. She didn't look quite herself though. Her face was dropped into the palm of her hand, the other was lazily pushing around food on her almost full plate. As he stared at her, the fight from the locker room buzzed through his head. Whatever had her down, it had to be something about what Commander Morrison was so pissed off about.

Taking his tray, the gunman walked over and slid in across from. Her. She glanced up, offering the hint of a smile before looking right back down. That certainly wasn't the chipper doctor that he was used to. What in the world could Reyes have done to her that was so damn terrible? It had looked to him like the man adored her and vice verse. Could a spat over research rights be that important that it caused them to really fight? He didn't want to think so but that seemed to be the case.

"Hey Sunshine, what's got the clouds overhead?" He asked, taking a small butter packet to spread over his dinner roll.

"I didn't sleep well." Angela replied, her words low and distant. "Maybe I'm getting sick."

Though he wasn't sure, Jesse was moderately confident that she was lying right to his face. it wasn't like she had to tell him what was really bothering her but he wished that she would.

"Well sittin' here playing with your food ain't gonna make it any better. You should eat, build up some strength to fight them germs." He told her, laughing a little.

Angela didn't react beyond the smallest smile. She really was down.

"Hey..." He said, reaching across to touch her hand.

Before his fingers could even reach her, she jerked herself away. Those perfect blue flashed with fear for only the briefest of seconds before dulling once again. He stared at her, not sure what to say. Without giving him a chance to correct that, the woman stood up. She gathered together her things and gave him a rushed goodbye. Then she was dumping her food and on her way out the door. The male sat there alone, staring at the doorway that she'd vanished out of it. He wasn't stuck because he was in shock at her reaction, he was stuck because he'd seen it before.

Back home, there had been a girl who got jumped by some little budding gang. She was gone for a week before anyone found her. When they brought her back to town, she looked like she'd walked right through hell. Though Angela was not that bad, he could still see the haunted look in her eyes. She didn't want to be touched and as far as he saw, the girl had never let another man touch her ever again. But there was no way Reyes would do something like that, was there? Every part of him screamed no except for the memory of his face in that locker room. There was a darkness there that could have brought on such an act.

His fingers tightened around the utensil in his hand until the plastic snapped. There was no way, just no way that could be true. Yet even so, anger was overwhelming him. Jesse dropped the broke pieces and moved to stand up. Before he could even step from his seat, a hand came down on his shoulder with enough force to stop him. Snapping his head to the side, he was surprised to see a face that he did not recognize. The man now holding him in place was tall and lean, dark hair slicked back and shadowed eyes watching the doorway that Angela had previously gone out of.

"Have a seat before you do something stupid." The man said, his French accent, thick.

Jesse was about to argue but the man's eyes shifted to him and he felt the words die in his throat. Slowly, he lowered back down and the man moved to take the seat the blonde once held across from. Him.

"Mr. McCree, my name is Gerard Lacroix." He stated, extending his hand out across the table.

Slowly, Jesse shook with him.

"Jesse McCree but clearly you know that. I'm guessin' you stopped me for a reason?" He asked, eyes narrowed.

"I saw that look in your eyes and I know exactly what you planned to go do. Believe me, you're not the only one that wants to step in on this situation. But you can't be so careless, my new friend. You see, thinks aren't so simple." He said.

The guy made Jesse think of a comic book wizard or something. He was surrounded in a weird sort of mystery but not so much that it made him seem the evil type. No, it was more like he was one of those guides that gradually, though never directly, got the hero to where he needed to be. The younger man leaned back some, taking him in. After a moment, he sighed and gave in to the riddles he knew were coming.

"What exactly ain't simple about going out there and knocking Reyes on his ass?" He asked in a low voice, since there were still a few people in the mess hall.

"First, we both know how that fight would end. You're good but you're not there yet. Second, Reyes is on a path that might well take himself down. However, I need him just how he is for now. I was hoping, since you seem to be fond of Angela and want to keep her safe, you'd be willing to give me a hand."

There it was, the deal. There was always a deal with people like this. Yet, he still was getting that good guy vibe from this man. Whatever he was up to, could it really be bad? Clearly he wasn't happy with what the Blackwatch leader was up to and if there was something he needed, Jesse felt like he should be willing to help out. Was he? Sure, why not? There was that part of him that was hurt by this whole mess. Reyes brought him in, was teaching him how to go about being a real agent in this organization. Could one bad deed really separate them like that? As he thought about Angela's fearful eyes, he knew the answer without any further hesitation.

"Alright Mr. Lacroix, let's hear this little scheme of yours."


End file.
